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Copyright N°. _ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 

























BENITO AND LORETA DELFIN 
Children of Alta California 













BENITO AND 
LORETA DELFIN 

Children of Alta California 

By 

DOROTHY LYMAN LEETCH 

* * 

(MRS. LANGFORD WHEATON SMITH) 

AUTHOR OF “TOMMY TUCKER ON A PLANTATION” 

AND “ANNETJE AND HER FAMILY” 

ILLUSTRATED BY 

JO MORA 





BOSTON 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 

















PZ *~f 

fee 



Copyright, 1932, 

By Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 
All Rights Reserved 
Benito and Loreta Delfin 


PRINTED IN U. S. A. 

SEEPIB' 1932 ** P 

©CIA 54852 d 




For 

Anne Ogle, Lyman, 

AND 

Wheaton 











CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I 

The Twins. 

PAGE 

II 

II 

A Day at the Casa del Arroyo 

23 

III 

An Indian Fiesta .... 

42 

IV 

A Ship Comes In. 

69 

V 

Wash-day. 

99 

VI 

Harvesting at the Mission . 

116 

VII 

A Trip to Ross. 

139 

VIII 

To Monterey for the Winter 

164 

IX 

School. 

190 

X 

Christmas Eve. 

209 

XI 

A Christening and a Wedding 

227 

XII 

Home for the Rodeo . . . 

249 


7 




ILLUSTRATIONS 

So off the twins went ( Page 8j) Frontispiece 

PAGE 

The Mission San Francisco de Asis . . 20 

They were a handsome pair .... 29 

Gertrudis wandered about, caring for 

flowers and plants.34 

“You little rascal!”..37 

The clumsy team moved slowly on . . 49 

To fight to the death.62 

They came alongside the Orion . • 95 

The horses had seen the bears, too . . 104 

Benito had brought it down . . . .110 

It was still early when Padre Toribio 

knocked at the gate.119 

Mission San Carlos de Borromeo (Car¬ 
mel) .125 

“As far as I can see, there are just hills 

and hills”.132 





Illustrations 


PAGE 

Indeed, it was an adventure! .... 162 

Sailing toward Monterey.188 

They saw the schoolmaster . . . .197 

Loreta Delfin had a beautiful costume . 218 

He strummed his guitar.234 

Gertrudis and Roberto.246 

The hot branding-iron.259 

The young men played carrera de gallo . 262 
Several bulls were thus coursed . . . 264 


Benito and Loreta Delfin 


CHAPTER i 


THE TWINS 


(« 



ENITO, Benito, where are 
you?” a girl called in a musi¬ 
cal Spanish voice. 

Benito lay hidden under a low bush 
near the top of a sandy hill. He was a 
tease, and pretended not to hear his sis¬ 
ter as she trudged up the hillside. She 
was carrying a big flat basket such as the 
Indians made. In it were the fragrant 
leaves of the yerba buena which she had 
been gathering. The wind blew her 
orange-colored skirt into bright billows 
about her as she climbed. Her thick 



12 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

black braids fell to her waist. . A short 
blue velvet jacket covered a camisa, or 
blouse of sheer white muslin, which had 
short full sleeves that left her arms bare 
at the elbow. The smooth creamy skin 
of her cheeks was flushed with walking. 
Her sparkling black eyes looked search- 
ingly for her brother. 

She came so close to Benito before she 
saw him that he was able to catch her by 
the ankle and laughingly pull her down 
beside him. 

“Oh, Benito,” she said, “you have 
made me spill the herbs I’ve been gath¬ 
ering all the morning.” 

“There is plenty of that weed,” he 
said, boy-fashion, but he helped her 
gather up the minty leaves. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin were twins, 
and both were tall for their eleven years. 
They were the best of friends. Had 
Benito been a girl or Loreta Delfin a 


The Twins 13 

boy, neither would have been more com¬ 
panionable for the other. They had 
grown up on the rancho of their father, 
Don Carlos Alejandro Flores, and a 
more carefree, happy life could not be 
imagined. 

There were three brothers and three 
sisters older than the twins. Marcella, 
the oldest daughter of Don Carlos and 
Dona Maria Teresa, was married to an 
American, John Nichols, whom the 
family called Juan. When they were 
married he was a super-cargo on an 
American sailing vessel which traded on 
the California coast. Marcella and 
Juan lived at Monterey and had two chil¬ 
dren. The twins were the proudest aunt 
and uncle that ever lived. 

Salvador and Domingo Flores were 
soldiers at the Presidio of San Francisco, 
where the Spanish flag still flew. 

Prudencia was seventeen and still un- 


14 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

married. People were beginning to call 
her “an old maid” and look up to her with 
respect. She spent much time praying 
at the Mission and taking care of sick 
Indians. Loreta Delfin loved this quiet 
sister better than the gay and beautiful 
Maria Gertrudis, who sang and danced 
and soon would be the most popular 
senorita at a baile. 

Next came Tomas, who was two years 
older than the twins. He was the fa¬ 
vorite of his father, and together they 
went for long rides over the broad lands 
of the rancho. It was hard to find a 
more daring and skillful rider than 
Tomas among the young men of the 
community. 

Benito could not decide which of his 
brothers he admired the more. When 
he saw the soldiers in their gay uni¬ 
forms drilling at the Presidio, he wanted 


The Twins 15 

to be a soldier like Salvador and Do¬ 
mingo. At rodeo time he longed to be 
able to ride like Tomas and to be a 
vaquero on his father’s rancho. But al¬ 
ways his heart turned back to the sea and 
ships. 

That very morning he had wandered 
away from Loreta Delfin and the boys 
and girls who were gathering herbs, and 
climbed the hillside where he could see 
the bay. It lay still and sparkling, sur¬ 
rounded by rugged hills, which were 
green, now, after the winter rains. Be¬ 
low him lay the little cove where some of 
the trading ships came to anchor. Be¬ 
yond was the island called Yerba Buena, 
where the ships’ crews got wood and 
water for their long voyage home. 
Benito was never tired of watching for 
the white-winged vessels which came to 
trade their stores for hides and tallow. 


16 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Neither did he tire of telling Loreta 
Delfin about his first visit to a trading- 
ship. 

As they lay on their stomachs watch¬ 
ing the blue water below them, Benito 
began the story his sister knew so well. 

“I was a very little boy when Juan 
Nichols first took me to see his ship. 
You may not remember.” 

“You were not so very little,” inter¬ 
rupted Loreta Delfin, “for I am just your 
age, and I remember well when Juan 
came to the rancho and brought me a 
doll.” 

“Anyway,” went on Benito, “Juan 
took me on his horse. When we came 
to the shore, we got into a small boat and 
a sailor rowed us out to the ship.” 

“Not the horse, too,” said Loreta 
Delfin. 

“Certainly not, you silly! We left the 
horse on shore. When we reached the 


The Twins 17 

ship,” he went on, “we climbed right up 
the side of the ship on a rope ladder.” 

“You mean Juan carried you up the 
ladder. He would have had to if you 
were so very small,” Loreta Delfin re¬ 
minded him. 

“Maybe I did sit on his shoulders and 
hold on to his head,” admitted Benito. 
“While we were aboard, I climbed up to 
the top of the mast and mended sails and 
tarred the ropes. When the captain or¬ 
dered us to lower the main topsail and 
run up the royal, we did it in a jiffy.” 

Loreta Delfin let him go on without 
more corrections. She knew very well 
that every time he told this story it be¬ 
came more amazing, for he put into it 
all the things he had learned about ships 
these six years since the day that young 
John Nichols had first taken Benito 
aboard the brig Waverly from Boston. 

“I remember,” said Loreta Delfin, 


i8 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

who also had a story to tell, “finding 
Juan and Marcella in the patio alone. I 
hid behind the big olla and heard Juan 
ask Marcella to marry him. Marcella 
saw me and afterwards made me promise 
not to tell any one, because Juan should 
have had his father ask our father about 
it first. Juan’s father lived so far away 
that he got Padre Toribio to ask if Mar¬ 
cella could marry him. They fixed it up 
some way, for they were married.” 

“Juan has promised to take me into the 
trading business as a partner some day,” 
confided Benito. “Maybe I’ll own a 
ship myself and can sail around the 
Horn to Boston.” 

“What shall I do then?” asked Loreta 
Delfin, who couldn’t imagine what life 
would be without Benito. 

“Oh, maybe you could come as a pas¬ 
senger. You could if I owned the ship,” 
he assured her. 


The Twins 19 

“I think it is time to go home now,” 
said Loreta Delfin. 

Strands of fog were beginning to drift 
in from the ocean, which lay beyond the 
twin-peaked hill behind them. The 
shadows lengthened in the ravines as 
Loreta Delfin and Benito made their 
way down to the valley and followed a 
road leading from the shore to the Mis¬ 
sion San Francisco de Asis. 

The Angelus bell had just rung. 
Across the fields the Indians were com¬ 
ing on horseback or afoot toward the 
wide-spreading adobe buildings with 
red-tiled roofs and the church with 
columned fachada which belonged to 
the Mission. 

The twins watched with delight a race 
between two Indian boys. The brown 
bodies of these boys lay close to their 
ponies as they sped homeward neck and 
neck. The riders were as lithe and as 



20 


THE MISSION SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS 

























21 


The Twins 

fearless as the animals. Benito and 
Loreta Delfin laughed aloud as they saw 
the Indian boys come to a halt, dismount, 
and put on their coarse cotton shirts and 
trousers before they came near enough 
to the Mission for the watchful eye of 
Padre Toribio to see how happily they 
did without clothes and civilization. 

In the courtyard of the rancheria be¬ 
hind the Mission, fires were burning un¬ 
der the great kettles of atole, that thick 
gruel of maize flour which, with vege¬ 
tables and some beef, was the usual food 
of the Mission Indians. In return for 
food, shelter, and protection, thousands 
of Indians labored for the padres and ac¬ 
cepted their ways. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin soon left the 
road and made their way in the twilight 
around the Laguna de los Dolores. The 
frogs were croaking in the tulares, and 
little birds hopped and twittered in the 


22 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

willows. A coyote barked his shrill, 
high call as they followed the path over 
the hill. There, on a rise of ground near 
a small ravine, in which ran a sparkling 
stream, stood their own low, rambling 
adobe house, the Casa del Arroyo, with 
whitewashed walls and tiled roof. Bare 
and plain as the house appeared, it was 
safer built away from the trees because 
of the possibility of a surprise attack by 
hostile Indians or wild animals. Be¬ 
hind the w r alls, masses of gay flowers 
bloomed in a tidy patio, which was the 
center of family life. The vine-clad 
logia was cool and pleasant even dur¬ 
ing the heat of the day, and in fair 
weather the Flores family spent much of 
their time out-of-doors. 

The twins hurried through the fading 
light and were soon at the patio gate. 
They let themselves in just as the family 
were gathering for the evening meal. 


CHAPTER II 


A DAY AT THE CASA DEL ARROYO 

T daylight Doha Maria Teresa, 



La Patrona of the Casa del Ar¬ 
royo, called her family to¬ 


gether for morning prayers. 

As soon as she was up, La Patrona un¬ 
fastened the doors to the cell-like bed¬ 
rooms of her family, for at night the sons 
were locked in by the father, and the 
daughters by the mother. 

At the first call Juana and Josefina, the 
Indian girls who lived at the rancho, 
came from the despensa, or pantry-room, 
where they had been grinding maize on 
stone metates for the morning tortillas. 
The cook came from the kitchen, where 



24 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

a fire was already glowing in the adobe 
oven,orhornilla. 

“Come, muchachos,” called La Pa- 
trona to the Indian boys, Felipe and Gas- 
par, who with the Indian major-domo 
were lounging near the gate. “Come, 
kneel and thank the good God for His 
care.” 

Prudencia was usually at her devo¬ 
tions when her mother unlocked her 
door, but Loreta Delfin and Gertrudis 
had to be shaken to wake them up. 
Tomas and Benito tumbled quickly, but 
sleepily, out of bed to their knees as soon 
as they heard their mother’s voice. 
When all the members of the family had 
been roused and the servants gathered to¬ 
gether, the alabado, with its thanksgiv¬ 
ing for care, its petition for protection, 
and its song of praise, was offered by the 
household in unison. 

After prayers the younger children 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 25 

were allowed to go back to bed and to 
sleep, if an aged grandfather did not ask 
them questions from the Spanish cate¬ 
chism. 

All through the childhood of Salva¬ 
dor, Domingo, Tomas, Marcella, Pru- 
dencia, and Gertrudis, the thin high 
voice of Grandfather Flores had asked 
them every morning, 

“Children, who made you?” 

“El Dios,” would come the reply from 
those not too sleepy to hear the question. 

“Children, who died for you?” 

“El Dios.” 

The old soldier had died, and now 
only Loreta Delfin and Benito were al¬ 
lowed to return to sleep undisturbed un¬ 
til breakfast time. 

After prayers Gertrudis and Pru- 
dencia dressed and went about their 
household duties. Every day chocolate 
was freshly ground in a small stone mor- 


26 Benito and Loreta Deljin 

tar with a pestle. This work usually fell 
to Gertrudis, who cared little for such 
tasks. Juana and Josefina mixed torti¬ 
llas from the meal they had just ground. 
Water and salt were added and small 
balls made of the paste. These were 
flattened by the Indian girls, who tossed 
them from one bare arm to the other un¬ 
til the cakes were very thin. 

“Oh, you clumsy girl!” said Ger¬ 
trudis, as Juana let a cake slide to the 
hard earthen floor. “Let me show you 
how to make a tortilla,” and Gertrudis 
lightly tossed the soft dough from one 
arm to the other until it was as thin as 
paper. 

“There, ’twill be a perfect one, if the 
cook does not let it burn,” Gertrudis said, 
as she flipped it on to the smooth hot top 
of the adobe stove. To keep these thin 
cakes from burning, it was necessary to 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 27 

watch and turn them often until they 
were crisp and golden brown. 

When a pile of tortillas stood ready, 
Gertrudis took them with a pot of choco¬ 
late to her father and Tomas, who were 
waiting in their rooms for early break¬ 
fast, or desayuno. After they had been 
served, she joined her mother and sister, 
who were sipping their chocolate in a 
corner of the sala. This was a pleasant 
room with whitewashed walls on which 
were hung colored prints of the Virgin 
and the Saints. Heavy polished furni¬ 
ture covered with horsehair stood along 
the sides of the room, and in the deep 
window-ledges were potted plants, gay 
with bloom. 

By the time Doha Maria Teresa and 
her daughters had finished, Tomas and 
Don Carlos were in the patio ready for 
their morning ride. They were a hand- 


28 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

some pair. Don Carlos was tall and 
strong, with a fresh complexion. His 
eyes were large and black. On his head 
he had a wide-brimmed hat of soft dark 
felt with gay band and twisted cord of 
gold braid. The brim was lined with 
bright green silk. His white shirt 
opened at the neck, and over it he wore a 
vest ornamented with gold braid and 
filigree buttons and a short jacket of 
dark cloth. Velveteen knee-breeches 
were trimmed with buttons like those 
on his vest. A scarlet silk sash was 
wrapped around his waist, and its 
fringed ends hung down at the side. 
Botas, or leggins of fine soft deerskin, en¬ 
cased his legs. These were richly col¬ 
ored and stamped with beautiful devices 
and tied at the knee with a silk cord 
wound two or three times below the knee. 
Over Don Carlos’ shoulder was thrown 
a poncho of black broadcloth, richly 





29 


THEY WERE A HANDSOME PAIR 











30 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

trimmed in velvet. This marked his 
rank as a gente de razon. 

Tomas was dressed much the same as 
his father. He did not wear vest or 
poncho, however. His black hair was 
bound close to his head by a red silk 
handkerchief, and over this he wore a 
felt sombrero trimmed with gold lace 
and fringe. 

At the gate the Indian major-domo sat 
mounted, and Felipe held two spirited 
horses for Don Carlos and Tomas. 
Gaspar came in to the patio to fasten 
silver spurs, inlaid with gold, on his mas¬ 
ter’s boots. Tomas put about his waist 
the armitas, which was worn while rid¬ 
ing to protect the breeches from the 
chafing of the reata, or lasso rope. It 
was made of two pieces of well-tanned 
deerskin stitched to a narrow belt of the 
same skin. This was tied about the 
waist. Each piece fell over the thigh 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 31 

and was fastened with small thongs be¬ 
low the knee. 

As the two got into their richly orna¬ 
mented saddles, Dona Maria Teresa 
came out of the house with Prudencia 
and Gertrudis to wave as they galloped 
off over the hill. 

They were no sooner out of sight than 
a troupe of laughing Indian girls came 
up the path from the Mission to work 
at the rancho. They were dressed in 
loose garments made of the coarse cot¬ 
ton material woven at the Mission. 
Their black hair fell straight to their 
shoulders or was in plaits to the waist. 
One or two had gay striped Indian 
serapes around their shoulders. All 
were jolly and content. 

Gaspar and Felipe loitered about the 
gate and called “Buenos dias” to the girls 
as they came up the hill. “Buenos dias” 
was the answer, and a jest passed here and 


32 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

there, but not a girl lingered to talk, for 
Dona Maria Teresa was very strict, and 
every girl dreaded her displeasure and 
wished to keep the privilege of working 
at the casa grande, as they called the big 
ranch house. It was much more pleas¬ 
ant than working at the Mission. They 
loved gay Gertrudis and quiet Pruden- 
cia, and La Patrona was kind, though she 
did keep them hard at work and allowed 
no idling or fooling. 

The girls stopped their chatter at the 
gate and entered the patio in silence. 
La Patrona sat waiting to give them their 
daily orders. Some, who were skilled in 
spinning, sewing, and weaving, went 
into the small rooms where they made 
garments for the vaqueros and family 
servants at the rancho. 

Prudencia was teaching others to em¬ 
broider and make lace. As they 
worked, she would talk to them in her 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 33 

soft, sweet voice of God’s love and care 
and how it pleased Him to have His chil¬ 
dren love Him and serve Him, and they 
never tired of hearing her message. 

In the patio two Indian girls sprinkled 
and swept the hard earth as clean as a 
floor. Gertrudis wandered about, car¬ 
ing for flowers and plants that stood in 
pots and jars. She snipped dead leaves 
and blossoms from the roses that climbed 
over the wall, and trained the grapevines 
to cling to the rafters of the logia. 
Morning and evening it was the custom 
of the family to gather in the patio. At 
noon, when the sun was hot, they sought 
the shelter of the vine-clad logia or the 
cool of the long sala, where on this par¬ 
ticular morning a half-dozen Indian 
girls were cleaning under Dona Maria 
Teresa’s direction. 

In the kitchen preparations were be¬ 
ing made for the regular breakfast, or al- 



34 


GERTRUDIS WANDERED ABOUT, CARING FOR FLOWERS AND PLANTS 




















































































A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 35 

muerzo, which was eaten at nine o’clock, 
when Don Carlos and his son returned 
hungry after their ride over the rancho. 
Carne asada (meat broiled on a spit), 
steak with onions and gravy, eggs, torti¬ 
llas of corn or wheat, and always the red 
beans or frijoles formed the usual morn¬ 
ing meal. 

While the business of the household 
was being carried on, Benito and Loreta 
Delfin had slept peacefully in their little 
cell-like rooms until the sun streamed 
full on their faces and woke them. 
Then Benito was up and into his shirt 
and trousers quicker than it takes to tell, 
and, with his light reata looped in his 
hand, he started for the patio to practise 
lassoing. 

The Indian girls had finished working 
there and gone to other tasks. A few 
hens scratched about the shrubbery, and 
a mother cat and her kittens lolled in a 


36 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

sunny corner. As Benito made the 
round of the patio, he lassoed the 
chickens. They squawkingly protested, 
and when he freed them, they prudently 
went to scratch elsewhere. Then 
Benito tried to catch the cat. She also 
took herself off, with ruffled fur and the 
kittens trailing behind her. On the 
steps of the logia he saw Gertrudis braid¬ 
ing red ribbons into her long black hair. 
He sneaked up on her, and before she 
heard him, he had her fast, begging for 
mercy. 

“You little rascal!” she said. “I’ll 
teach you to lasso me!” And up she 
jumped, struggling to free her arms as 
she ran after Benito, who dropped the 
reata and took to his heels. 

Benito knew from experience that to 
be caught meant a sound whipping with 
the rope on his bare legs. He kept well 
ahead of his sister in their chase around 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 37 

patio and logia. Both were laughing 
hard, and while Gertrudis had her arms 
bound, Benito could outrun her. As 
soon as she was free of the rope, how¬ 
ever, she lifted her long full skirts, and 



“YOU LITTLE RASCAL!” 


her feet were as swift and light as his. 
Benito was all but caught, when their 
mother, hearing the noise, came out to 
see what was the matter. 

“Come, come,” she said, clapping her 
hands. “This will never do. It is 
nearly time for your father to return. 




38 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

He will not be kept waiting for his break¬ 
fast, and you two are in need of a fresh 
toilet.” 

She looked first at the tousled boy with 
his shirt hanging out and then at her 
flushed and handsome daughter with 
kerchief awry and her long black hair 
partly unbraided and streaming behind 
her. 

“Go,” she said. “Make yourselves 
tidy before your father’s return.” 

Benito and Gertrudis, without a word, 
went to their rooms to repair the dam¬ 
ages of their merry chase. 

While all this was happening, Loreta 
Delfin slipped into the despensa to beg 
from Juana a cake of coarse brown 
sugar, called panocha. She stayed in 
the pantry to eat it unobserved, and had 
just come into the patio when her father 
and Tomas rode up to the house. She 
ran to meet them. 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 39 

“Buenos dias, little flower,” her father 
called to her. And, as if noticing for the 
first time how tall she was, he said, “You 
will soon be too old to lie abed when we 
ride. Then,” he added, “the last of my 
babes will be grown.” 

By the time Don Carlos and Tomas 
were ready for their breakfast, the rest of 
the family had come into the logia. 
Gertrudis’ hair was now neatly braided 
with the red ribbon, and Benito had 
added a sash and jacket to his shirt and 
trousers. Dona Maria Teresa had un¬ 
wrapped the gay silk work-turban from 
her own head, and her hair shone in 
glossy black loops above a high comb. 

As the family seated themselves at the 
long table, no one would have guessed 
they had been up for hours and ac¬ 
complished most of the day’s tasks. 
Tomas and Don Carlos were unfatigued 
after their hours in the saddle, for no 


40 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

amount of riding tired these slim ath¬ 
letic Spaniards of Alta California. All 
were hungry, and their generous meal 
was eaten with relish, without conversa¬ 
tion. 

After breakfast Don Carlos rode off 
on a fresh horse to the Mission to talk 
hides and tallow to Padre Toribio. 
Tomas remained at home, strumming his 
guitar as he sat with his sisters in the 
shaded logia. Gertrudis and Pruden- 
cia were embroidering, and Loreta 
Delfin was trying to learn a few 
stitches to decorate her doll’s petticoa?. 
Benito had left the patio to throw his 
reata where the temptation to lasso his 
sisters would not be so strong. 

Shortly after noon the family met 
again for prayers and dinner similar to 
breakfast. During the early hours of 
the afternoon the household usually 
rested in their rooms. Later on, friends 


A Day at the Casa Del Arroyo 41 

often came to gossip and sip te, or tea, 
in the patio. At six o’clock the family 
gathered for devotions and a light meal. 
Unless there was a party planned for the 
evening, the rosario was recited early and 
another alabado chanted in unison. By 
nine the family would be in bed. 


CHAPTER III 


AN INDIAN FIESTA 



ENITO and Loreta Delfin came 
running into the storeroom one 
morning. 

“Oh, Mother,” Benito called. “They 
are going to have a fiesta at the Mission. 
The Indians are going to have a holiday 
to-morrow. May we go to watch the 
games and the bull-fight and the dances in 
the evening?” 

Dona Maria Teresa did not care about 
seeing the savages, as she called them, at 
their rough games, but she knew the chil¬ 
dren loved it. Salvador and Domingo, 
Marcella, Gertrudis, and Tomas had all, 
in their turn, begged to go to Indian 


42 



An Indian Fiesta 43 

fiestas. The dirt and the noise and the 
barbarity never seemed to offend them. 

“Yes,” she said, “you may go, if your 
father will take you.” 

“Joy! Joy!” shouted Benito and 
Loreta Delfin, who joined hands and 
jumped up and down, yelling like sav¬ 
ages themselves. 

“Oh, children, children!” their mother 
begged. “Do go to the patio and shout 
to the skies. The house is too small for 
you.” 

When Don Carlos came in to his din¬ 
ner, the twins were waiting for him. 

“There’s going to be a fiesta at the 
Mission to-morrow! We can go, we 
can go!” And remembering their man¬ 
ners, both Benito and Loreta Delfin said 
in their nicest voices, “If you will be so 
good as to take us, Father.” 

Don Carlos laughed. “You children 
hear the news more quickly than I do. 


44 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Padre Toribio told me only this morn¬ 
ing that there was to be a special Mass, 
and later the Indians would celebrate 
with games and dances.” 

At dinner the family were eager to 
hear the news, and plans were made for 
all to go to the Mission for the fiesta. 

Next morning the whole family was 
up earlier than usual. After prayers 
and breakfast, household duties were 
hurried. The Indian girls from the 
Mission did not come. Juana and Jose- 
fina were dismissed for the day and went 
off arm and arm with Felipe and Gas- 
par, gay in holiday attire. 

Tomas and Gertrudis were to ride to 
the Mission with Don Carlos. Benito 
had begged to be allowed to go with them 
instead of in the carreta with his mother, 
Prudencia, and Loreta Delfin. 

“I’m no baby,” he stormed, “who has 


An Indian Fiesta 45 

to ride in an ox-cart! Why can’t I ride 
with Father and Tomas, like a man?” 

“Ah, Benito, a baby is not asked to es¬ 
cort his mother and sisters,” said Pru- 
dencia. 

Benito felt better at once. The old 
Indian who walked by the head of the 
oxen promised him that he might carry 
the long ox-goad to prod the beasts when 
they needed it. This more than made 
up for not being allowed to make the 
trip on horseback. 

The carreta was a rude wooden cart 
without springs. The wheels were 
made of cross-cut sections of logs. 
Over the top was stretched an awning of 
gayly striped canvas. Two low-hung 
steps in the back of the cart made it easier 
for the passengers to climb in and out. 
The great hulking oxen, with wide¬ 
spread horns, were hitched to the cart on 


46 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

either side of a long pole. Leather 
thongs fastened the yoke, which was tied 
to the back of their horns, close to the 
head. When the load was heavy, the 
poor beasts bore all the strain with their 
heads, which were drawn back in great 
discomfort. 

As the carreta made slow and rough 
progress, it was to start first. Loreta 
Delfin and Benito were ready long be¬ 
fore their mother and Prudencia. 
While they were waiting, Benito said: 

“Let’s play cuatrito! I’ll bet you my 
buttons you can’t throw to the line as 
often as I can.” 

“You’ve got your best jacket on,” 
Loreta Delfin reminded him, “and I 
sha’n’t let you cut your buttons off.” 
Then she teasingly added, “So you think 
you can beat me! Let’s see!” 

Benito drew a line on the ground and 
counted off the steps they were to stand 


An Indian Fiesta 47 

away from it. He took two flat stones 
from his pocket and handed one to 
Loreta Delfin. 

“My first throw!” they both shouted 
at once. 

“We’ll have to throw for it,” Benito 
said, and tossed his stone with care. It 
hit the mark but slid several inches far¬ 
ther. Loreta Delfin dropped her stone 
nearer the line, and Benito gave her first 
throw. The game was going at a lively 
rate, with Loreta Delfin two points 
ahead. Then Benito dropped his stone 
right on the line, and Loreta Delfin 
threw too carefully and fell short. 
Benito jumped up and down for joy. 

“One more throw, and I’m even,” he 
shouted. 

Just then Prudencia called, “Come, 
children. Mother is already in the car- 
reta.” 

“Just one more throw,” Benito re- 


48 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

plied, and again he took careful aim. 

“Come, children, come! We shall 
never get there,” Prudencia repeated, 
just as Benito’s stone fell atop the mark. 

Laughingly the two ran to the carreta. 
Loreta Delfin climbed into the cart, and 
Benito ran to the head of the oxen. 

“I guess it’s safe to bet the buttons even 
on my best jacket with you,” he called 
back to her good-naturedly. 

With great creaking and groaning, 
the carreta started over the hill. 

“That lazy Indian did not soap these 
wheels last night. We shall be deaf with 
the noise before we get to the Mission,” 
said Doha Maria Teresa, but her soft 
voice was lost in the noise of the wheels 
as the clumsy team moved slowly on. 

As they drew near the head of the val¬ 
ley where the Mission San Francisco de 
Asis stood, they saw other carretas going 
in the same direction. Horsemen, too, 



49 


THE CLUMSY TEAM MOVED SLOWLY ON 





















































50 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

were in sight, for every member of the 
few Spanish families who had built their 
comfortable adobe homes near the Mis¬ 
sion attended its services faithfully. 

“Father has come,’’ called Benito. “I 
see his horse tied beside the gate.” 

Don Carlos stood talking with two or 
three rancheros of his acquaintance. 
Tomas and Gertrudis were standing 
with a group of young people at the steps 
of the church. The bells began to ring 
as Senora Flores and her children 
climbed down from the carreta. The la¬ 
dies shook out their crumpled skirts and 
straightened their black lace mantillas 
for each other. Loreta Delfin and 
Benito ran ahead to join Don Carlos. 
The Indian neophytes in holiday attire 
were already in line, two by two, waiting 
for the gente de razon to enter the church 
before they marched in, singing as they 
went. 


An Indian Fiesta 51 

Few were the fair Spanish faces in 
that congregation of Indians who filled 
the long narrow nave of the church. In¬ 
deed, it was the Indians’ own church. 
A few of the older men present had ac¬ 
tually worked on the building. Under 
the direction of the padres, they had built 
the great walls, four feet thick, of adobe 
brick. From long distances they had 
hauled great timbers for roof-beams, 
hewing them by hand and lashing them 
together with rawhide thongs. Some of 
the Indians, who were little boys at the 
time, remembered making pegs of man- 
zanita wood, which were used in build¬ 
ing instead of nails. The plastered 
walls and ceiling were gay with decora¬ 
tions, painted in bright colors by Indian 
artists. The floors were laid with tiles 
made by hand. There were no benches, 
and the congregation sat on rugs and 
mats. 


52 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Loreta Delfin and Benito thought the 
altar very beautiful with its bright deco¬ 
rations and pictures of the Saints, which 
had been brought from Spain. The 
altar ornaments were of sparkling silver 
and gold. Beautiful, too, were the rich 
robes the padres wore over their drab 
habits during the celebration of the 
Mass. 

A choir of Indian singers chanted the 
Mass, using great music books held on a 
revolving stand. To help the singers 
learn their parts, the notes for each voice 
were painted in different colors. 

To-day the sermon was short, for the 
Indians were restless and eager to be 
about their sports and play. After the 
benediction the church emptied fast, 
and there was scarcely an Indian to be 
seen near the building when Loreta 
Delfin and Benito came outside. Good 


An Indian Fiesta 53 

Padre Toribio and his fellow-worker, 
Padre Quijas, were at the door in sandals 
and loose-fitting, big-sleeved, hooded 
habits, belted at the waist with a knotted 
rope. They greeted each person who 
passed them. 

“Ah, friends,” Padre Toribio said, “I 
am happy to see you. Will you have a 
cup of chocolate with me before you start 
home?” 

“Thank you, Padre,” Dona Maria 
Teresa replied, “Don Carlos is to stay 
with the children to see the Indian games 
and dances. Prudencia and I must not 
wait too long before starting home, but 
a little refreshment will be welcome.” 

Padre Toribio led the way with Senora 
Flores and Loreta Delfin to the apart¬ 
ment where guests were treated to all the 
hospitality the Mission afforded. Pru¬ 
dencia, Benito, and Don Carlos fol- 


54 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

lowed. Gertrudis and Tomas excused 
themselves to ride off with friends for 
breakfast at a neighboring rancho. 

Benito was anxious to see what the 
Indians were doing, but his father said 
they were eating and that there would be 
plenty of time to see the games. 

“I shouldn’t like to be a padre,” Benito 
said in a whisper to Prudencia. “I 
wouldn’t like to wear that long gown. 
It must be awfully prickly and hot, and 
you couldn’t ride horseback well or run 
so quickly.” 

“Oh,” said Prudencia, “Saint Francis 
was willing to give up fine clothes for the 
loose, shapeless garment of drab wool, 
and these, his brothers, are trying to fol¬ 
low, in sandaled feet, the way he taught 
them to draw near to God.” 

Benito always thought Prudencia was 
right, so he didn’t say any more. But he 


An Indian Fiesta 55 

knew he wouldn’t like to have the hair 
taken off the top of his head in a little 
circle like Padre Toribio’s, either. He 
wasn’t quite sure how they got it off and 
was just a little afraid it was pulled out, 
one hair at a time. 

When the guests were seated in the 
long, low cool room with plastered 
walls and beamed ceiling, Indian women 
brought bowls of fruit, chocolate, and 
plates of crisp brown tortillas. After 
their ride, all were hungry and ate heart¬ 
ily of the simple meal. Senora Flores 
and Prudencia were anxious to be off 
and sent Benito to see if the carreta was 
ready. 

Don Carlos saw them safely started 
and then rejoined Padre Toribio and 
Padre Quijas to talk about the business 
of supplying the soldiers at the Presidio 
with food and clothes. Benito and Lo- 


56 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

reta Delfin were allowed to go about as 
they pleased, watching the Indians at 
their games. 

Some of the young Indian men were 
standing around a square which had 
been cleared of grass. They held cane¬ 
like sticks about five feet long. A small 
ring three or four inches across was set 
rolling, and two players at a time tried to 
pass their stick through it while it was in 
motion. If either player succeeded, it 
counted two points for his side, or one 
point if the hoop rested on the stick when 
it stopped. It was a lively game, as the 
hoop was kept constantly rolling, and 
the Indians ran and shouted as they tried 
to spear it. 

The twins thought they would like 
to try this game in the patio at home. 
Loreta Delfin wondered where they 
could get such long straight sticks and 
such a little hoop. 


An Indian Fiesta 57 

“Perhaps we could carve a ring,” Be¬ 
nito said. “I will ask Tomas to watch 
for long straight sticks when he is riding 
over the rancho. I may be able to find 
some down by the laguna myself.” 

Loud shouts and a kind of singing 
called their attention to a group of men 
and women not far away. Benito and 
Loreta Delfin ran to where a game of 
tousee was being played. Four men 
were on their knees on each side of a big 
Indian blanket. They swayed from side 
to side in time to a chant sung by the 
women standing behind them. The 
players on one side had hidden a piece 
of black bone and a piece of white 
bone in the hands of one of their 
number. The players on the opposite 
side must guess where the black bone 
was. If they guessed right, they got 
the bones; if they were wrong, one 
counter was placed on the side of the 


58 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

winners. There were fourteen count¬ 
ers, and all must be gained to win the 
game. While the bones were being 
passed from one player to the other, the 
men held a blanket in their teeth to hide 
their hands. The women behind them 
shouted and made faces and gestures to 
distract the attention of the opposing 
side, while the sharp eyes of the Indians 
watched every move of their opponents 
for any sign which would help them 
make the right guess. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin watched 
this game for a long time, until it grew 
so crowded about the players that they 
no longer could see them. Then they 
wandered off to watch another game be¬ 
ing played by men and women divided 
into two bands. Each had a curved 
wooden stick, and half of the players 
were trying to push a wooden ball 
toward a mark while the other half tried 


An Indian Fiesta 59 

to thrust it back. This the twins did not 
think very interesting, and soon went 
where a crowd was gathering about a tall 
pole which looked like a ship’s mast with 
something tied to the top. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin learned that 
the pole was greased with tallow and 
sprinkled with dirt and ashes. The 
bundle at the top was a new suit of 
clothes and a gay serape for the boy who 
could climb to the top and get it. 

A long line of Indian boys stood wait¬ 
ing their turn to try. There was shout¬ 
ing and laughing as, one after another, 
the climbers slipped and slid back a foot 
for every one they advanced up the pole. 

“I don’t think clothes are much of a 
prize for all that work,” said Benito, “es¬ 
pecially as the Indians would rather not 
wear any.” 

“They do like the gay serapes,” said 
Loreta Delfin. “And besides, if they 


60 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

have to wear clothes, I guess they think 
this is easier than making them.” 

One of the boys was well on the way 
to the top of the pole and the crowd was 
growing silent with excitement when 
Don Carlos came up behind the chil¬ 
dren. 

“Come, children,” he said. “The pa¬ 
dres are waiting dinner for us.” 

“Oh, let us see if he gets to the top!” 
begged both the twins. 

But Don Carlos said they could not 
keep dinner waiting and took the chil¬ 
dren by the hand and led them away. 

Just as they were going into the Mis¬ 
sion, they heard a great shout, and 
Benito looked over his shoulder and saw 
that the bundle was gone from the top of 
the pole. 

“Good!” he cried. “He got it, he 
got it!” and both he and Loreta Delfin 
joined the shouting. 


An Indian Fiesta 6l 

In the afternoon there was to be a 
bull-fight. The Indians had trapped a 
grizzly-bear, the padres told them, and 
had been saving it to fight the fiercest 
bull they had. After dinner and a short 
rest, the padres and Don Carlos took 
Benito and Loreta Delfin into the inner 
quadrangle of the Mission. Here a 
barricade had been built, and crowds of 
men and boys stood watching the pen 
where the bull had been shut up for 
several days in darkness. The twins 
climbed up on a bench under one of the 
big arches of the logia. Here they could 
see over the heads of the Indians. 

Not one of that crowd of Spaniards 
and Indians nor the gentle padres, who 
guided and watched over them, thought 
it was cruel to set a poor frightened wild 
beast and a half-starved bull, blinded by 
the sunlight, at each other to fight to the 
death. 


62 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Every one had chosen his favorite, and 
half shouted wildly for the bull and half 
for the bear. As the fight went on, the 



TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH 


growling of the cornered bear and the 
roaring and stamping of the wounded 
bull frightened Loreta Delfin, and she 
closed her eyes many times before it was 
over. She was really glad Benito was so 
busy watching that he didn’t notice her. 
She just couldn’t look, even if Benito did 




An Indian Fiesta 63 

laugh and say she was only a girl and, of 
course, a coward. 

At last the bear was killed and the 
crowd scattered. The padres suggested 
that they look about the Mission, but 
Benito asked to ride with his father to the 
Presidio, so Padre Toribio said he would 
take Loreta Delfin with him on his 
rounds of the work-shops. 

Together the drably clad priest and 
gayly dressed Loreta Delfin walked 
through the Mission. They went into 
all the small rooms where spinning, 
weaving, and sewing were done by the 
Indian girls, and saw the shops where 
men and boys worked with leather and 
metal, making shoes, saddles, harnesses, 
and farm implements. They saw piles 
of bags made of skins in which to store 
tallow. Great kettles filled with soap in 
the making, and dye-stuff for leather and 
wool stood in one corner of the patio. 


64 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

On a work day all was as busy as a bee¬ 
hive, but to-day not an Indian was to be 
seen in the shop, and the footsteps of the 
two echoed on the tiled floors. 

“Padre Toribio, they are to have danc¬ 
ing to-night, aren’t they?” asked Loreta 
Delfin. “I like that better than bull¬ 
fights.” 

“Yes, my child,” the padre answered. 
“I let them play as much as they wish on 
fiesta days. Afterwards, they work all 
the better for it and go more willingly to 
the services of the church. They are 
just brown children,” he added, “and 
cannot leave off their strange ways too 
suddenly.” 

Toward evening the Indians gathered 
in groups about great kettles where 
meat had been cooking. It was truly a 
feast-day, and after their games they 
were hungry. While some were eating, 


An Indian Fiesta 65 

others were making preparations for the 
dance. A great bonfire had been built 
in a cleared space and small fires laid 
about it in a wide circle, ready to light 
when darkness fell. 

Benito and Don Carlos came back be¬ 
fore the Angelus bell rang, ready for 
their supper, too. Benito said he had 
seen some of the Indians painting them-, 
selves and getting ready for the evening. 

“They are making stripes and patterns 
all over their bodies,” he said, “and I 
wouldn’t like to meet them alone. They 
look dreadfully scary, with white circles 
around their eyes and the big head¬ 
dresses on.” 

After a light supper of frijoles, cold 
roast pigeon, chocolate, and tortillas, 
Don Carlos, the two padres, and the 
twins went out into the twilight. A 
great crowd of Indians were seated or 


66 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

standing outside of the circle of small 
fires. These were being lit by boys with 
torches, and the flickering light began to 
brighten the space where the dancing 
was to take place. 

The musicians had gathered and were 
beginning to make weird music on 
their simple instruments. Pipes of split 
reeds, castanets of bone tied with leather, 
drums of skin, rattles of tortoise-shells 
filled with pebbles, all made a kind of 
rumbling accompaniment to the dron¬ 
ing hum of voices in a minor key. 

Soon the dancers appeared; the men 
with painted bodies and strange head¬ 
dresses, the women in skirts made of the 
tails of rabbits and squirrels, trimmed 
with bird feathers. Their arms were 
covered with shell bracelets and their 
necks hung with beads. The watching 
Indians took up a soft chant, which 
sounded to Spanish ears like: 


An Indian Fiesta 67 

“I-ah-we-lay; I-ah-we-lay-lah; 

Ha-low-hal-wah-ah-kay,” 

sung over and over again. 

The dancers formed a circle about the 
central fire and slowly lifted first one 
foot and then the other in a sideways 
movement in time to the drums, rattles, 
and the soft clapping of many hands. 

It was all very strange and beautiful, 
Loreta Delfin thought, out there in the 
firelight with the sky like dark-blue vel¬ 
vet and the stars coming out like fireflies. 

Suddenly there was a shout. The 
dancers shot their arms outward and 
leaped into the air and whirled about 
with strange ecstasy, and then just as sud¬ 
denly dropped again into the first rhyth¬ 
mical step, with a more rapid swaying of 
the upper part of the body. 

After they had watched this for 
some time, Don Carlos said they must 
go home. Benito and Loreta Delfin 


68 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

wanted to stay longer, but Padre Toribio 
said the same thing would keep up a long 
time, with new dancers taking the places 
of those who were tired. 

So Don Carlos mounted his horse and 
lifted Loreta Delfin in front of him. 
Benito mounted another horse and 
promised to ride close behind. They 
thanked Padre Toribio and Padre Qui- 
jas for their kindness and hospitality dur¬ 
ing the day and then started for home. 

As they climbed the hillside, the 
flickering fires became still bright spots 
on the dark floor of the valley. The 
dancers disappeared in the shadows. 
Loreta Delfin’s head dropped upon her 
father’s shoulder and her eyes closed. 
She could still hear the faint thump- 
thump of the drums and the queer sing¬ 
song chant of the Indians, but sleep soon 
put an end to a long happy day. 


CHAPTER IV 

A SHIP COMES IN 

F IESTAS didn’t come every day. 

Life at the Casa del Arroyo went - 
on for several weeks in the usual 
quiet way before anything happened to 
give Benito and Loreta Delfin some¬ 
thing new to talk about. 

One morning Domingo rode up to 
the house in a great state of excitement. 
A ship had been sighted from the fort. 
As yet it was not known whether she was 
the long-expected relief from San Bias 
or traders from Boston or England. 
Some thought it might even be pirates 
from South America. 

Benito, who had run out to meet his 
brother and was listening to every word, 

69 


70 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

openly hoped they were pirates. When 
he saw the serious look on his father’s 
face and how white and silent his mother 
and Prudencia had become, he didn’t 
quite understand. 

His mother said, “Now run and play, 
Benito,” and there was nothing for him 
to do but obey, though he did want to stay 
and hear what Domingo and his father 
were saying about the ship. His mother 
and Prudencia went indoors, and Benito 
looked for Loreta Delfin to tell her the 
news. 

She was in the despensa with the In¬ 
dian girl, Josefina, helping to grind 
chocolate in a little stone mortar. 

“I think there is a pirate ship coming 
into port,” announced Benito boldly, as 
he seated himself on a long wooden 
bench opposite the work table. 

“How do you know?” demanded 
Loreta Delfin. 


A Ship Comes In 71 

“Domingo rode over from the Pre¬ 
sidio to tell Father.” 

“Did they see the pirates’ black flag?” 
asked the exact Loreta Delfin. 

“Well, no,” Benito had to admit. 
“They only thought it might be pirates, 
and I wish it were,” he added. 

“No, you don’t, either,” said his sister. 
“Why, what would we do if they came 
ashore? Don’t you remember what 
happened in Monterey when the pirates 
landed?” 

“Well, of course,” said Benito, “I 
wouldn’t want to be driven out of our 
home and have to go to San Jose to live. 
Marcella had to go to Soledad with most 
of the women and children in Monterey, 
while Juan stayed behind to help defend 
the Presidio. If I could stay and fight,” 
he went on, “I wouldn’t mind.” 

“But you couldn’t,” put in Loreta 
Delfin. “You may think you are 


72 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

grown-up, but you’d be put in a carreta 
with the women and children, just like 
me, and be driven away.” 

“Now, if you are going to be mean, I’ll 
go see what Domingo and Father are 
talking about,” said Benito, for his feel¬ 
ings were very much hurt. 

“Don’t go,” said Loreta Delfin. 

“Maybe Josefina will let us take a 
panocha,” she said, looking into the jar 
where the flat cakes of coarse brown 
sugar were kept. 

“If you take one,” said Josefina, “your 
mother will say I stole it and will tell the 
padre, who won’t let me come here any 
more.” 

“All right, we won’t touch any,” said 
both the children together, for they were 
fond of Josefina and didn’t want to get 
her into trouble. 

When the chocolate was ground, 
Loreta Delfin left with Benito, and to- 


A Ship Comes In 73 

gether they went to hear the latest news 
of the ship. They found that Domingo 
and their father had ridden back to the 
Presidio, so nothing could be learned 
until evening. 

When Don Carlos and Domingo re¬ 
turned for their supper, the household 
heard that the pirate ship had turned out 
to be the brig Orion with supplies of all 
kinds to trade for hides and tallow. 

The officers at the Presidio were plan¬ 
ning a ball and had invited the Spanish 
families at the Mission settlement to 
come. The ladies would have a chance 
to go aboard the brig and look over the 
supply of mantillas, ribbons, scarfs, and 
shawls. There would be fine muslin, 
too, and silk by the yard for skirts and 
jackets, also beads, combs, and laces. 
They would find for sale everything that 
girls and women treasured for their gay 
costumes. 


74 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“If it isn’t too rough on the ocean, I 
would like to go out to the ship,” said 
Dona Maria Teresa. “There are many 
things lacking in my pantries and house¬ 
hold, and no doubt we can replenish our 
stores.” 

“Oh, for a new dress, fresh ribbons 
and beads and bangles!” said Gertrudis. 
“Just in time for the officers’ ball, too. 

“Domingo, is that handsome Lieu¬ 
tenant Castro still at the Presidio? I 
wonder if he will dance with me again?” 
she went on. “I’ve learned lots of new 
steps for the jota.” 

“Maria Gertrudis!” interrupted her 
mother. “That will do. You are talk¬ 
ing nonsense.” 

Domingo looked at his sister and 
seemed to see for the first time how very 
pretty she had grown and that she was 
no longer a little girl. 

“All right, ’Trudis,” Domingo said, 


A Ship Comes In 75 

“I’ll take you to the ball myself, and you 
can show the others how to dance.” 

Gertrudis was so delighted that she 
threw her arms about Domingo’s neck 
and kissed him. 

As the dance was to be held the follow¬ 
ing Friday, Don Carlos planned to take 
the family over a day ahead to give them 
time to go out to the ship, which was an¬ 
chored in a little cove near the fort. 

For years the officers and soldiers at 
the Presidio of San Francisco had waited 
patiently for supplies. Uniforms had 
grown ragged, and ammunition had be¬ 
come so scarce that it was once neces¬ 
sary to borrow powder from a visiting 
ship in order to fire a salute of greeting. 
The only Spanish ships from San Bias to 
visit the port had brought about fifty 
more soldiers and no supplies. These 
extra men only added to the distress. 

The Mission supplied food and 


76 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

clothes to the Presidio, but trade with 
foreign vessels was carried on to supply 
the dire needs of soldiers and gente de 
razon alike. Even the Governor at 
Monterey closed his eyes to the breaking 
of the law, knowing how great the need 
was. 

Salvador, who was in charge of the 
Presidio in the Comandante’s absence, 
asked his father for supplies for the ban¬ 
quet. His mother gladly set her Indian 
girls at work making tortillas and dulces, 
or sweetmeats. They would probably 
like tamales, too, and enchiladas, also 
chickens with red rice, to serve after the 
ball, and the household was soon busy 
getting ready for the festivities. 

Don Carlos sent Tomas to tell two 
Indian vaqueros to bring in a fat young 
steer. Benito had seen steers brought 
up to within a hundred yards of the 
kitchen and killed for meat so many 


A Ship Comes In 77 

times that he knew every step of the 
whole process, but he never tired of 
watching it. 

The animal was lassoed by the horns 
and led in from the range. When the 
place was reached where the killing was 
to take place, a second vaquero lassoed 
the steer’s hind legs and threw him with a 
great thud. Then the riders backed 
their horses until the reatas were tight. 
The man at the tail-end dismounted and 
tied the beast’s forelegs together and 
drew them up to the hind legs. Then 
the vaqueros removed their reatas. The 
one on foot stuck his knife into the ani¬ 
mal’s neck. When the steer was dead, 
the two men worked together to remove 
the skin. If they were skillful and had 
done the work many times, it took them 
only one half-hour to lay back the skin 
and cut the meat up on it. By killing 
and dressing the meat on the ground, it 


78 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

was sweeter, juicier, and more nutritious 
than when done any other way. 

There was a use for nearly every part 
of the beef. At matanza, or the time of 
year when cattle were killed for hides, 
only the choice parts were taken for 
food. Some of these were cut in long 
strips and dipped into boiling brine full 
of hot red peppers. Then these were 
hung to dry in the sun. This dried beef, 
called “carne seca,” was used for stews 
all the year. For not a day went by 
without a beef stew and the favorite 
red beans or frijoles. To-day only the 
choicest cuts were dressed and made 
ready to take to the Presidio. 

Don Carlos was busy seeing that the 
stiff dry hides, folded hair-side in, and 
skins of tallow were piled on creaking 
ox-carts. As there was little money to 
be had in Alta California, the bills for 


A Ship Comes In 79 

finery, ranch implements, furniture, and 
household goods were paid in hides and 
tallow. The traders’ prices for mer¬ 
chandise were high, and often it would 
take ten or fifteen cart-loads of hides and 
tallow to pay for what the ranchero and 
his family bought. 

Benito ran here and there, first watch¬ 
ing the loading of the carts and then the 
dressing of the beef, and now and then 
stopping in the kitchen where all sorts 
of good things were being prepared. 

“Oh, please give me an asderos,” he 
begged as he saw fresh cheese being 
made into little cakes somewhat thicker 
than tortillas. “I like them best when 
they are just made.” And the good- 
natured cook gave him a cheese-cake 
from the trayful on the table. 

Loreta Delfin was helping Prudencia 
pack the food into big baskets, which In- 


80 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

dian girls would carry over to the Pre¬ 
sidio on their heads. 

Next day, very early, the family was 
ready to start. Loreta Delfin, Pruden- 
cia, and Senora Flores started first in 
the clumsy carreta. Benito, Gertrudis, 
Tomas, and Don Carlos followed on 
horseback. 

It was a fine cool day, and wisps of fog 
strayed over the hills from the sea. The 
wind had not started to blow, and the 
leaves were quiet on the scrub oaks, 
which stretched their long branches hor¬ 
izontally, like arms, as if to reach the 
tops of the steep ravines. Wild mus¬ 
tard, waist-high, was in bloom, and the 
copa-de-ora, or golden poppies, were be¬ 
ginning to color the hillsides. Geese 
and ducks were feeding on the laguna 
by the Mission. As they drew nearer 
the ocean, hares darted over the sandhills 


A Ship Comes In 81 

between the chaparral bushes. Birds of 
all kinds flew about, and flocks of tufted 
partridges appeared almost beneath the 
horse’s feet. 

Tomas and Gertrudis raced each 
other uphill and downhill, shouting and 
swinging their arms as though they had 
reatas and were rounding up cattle. 
Don Carlos and Benito rode back and 
forth to watch the slow progress of the 
ox-cart and pass a pleasant word with the 
ladies as they rumbled along, shaded by 
the colored awning stretched over the 
top of the cart. 

“Let’s race,” begged Benito, as they 
came up to Tomas and Gertrudis, who 
were resting their ponies in the shade 
after a lively gallop. 

“All right,” said Tomas, as he swung 
into the saddle. “We will go over that 
hill and back to the ox-cart.” 


82 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Hold on tight, Benito,” said his 
father, as they urged their horses into a 
gallop. 

Gertrudis joined in, and Dona Maria 
Teresa from the ox-cart suddenly saw 
what appeared to be four flying figures 
appear on the top of the hill almost di¬ 
rectly over her head. Down they came 
shouting and laughing, with Tomas and 
Gertrudis a little ahead and Don Carlos 
and Benito close behind. As the riders 
crossed the road back of the carreta, 
Loreta Delfin clapped and shouted for 
the winners. 

After the race, the horses slowed down 
and came alongside the carreta. As 
Don Carlos was anxious to see - if the 
carts loaded with hides and tallow had 
reached the shore, he rode ahead, leaving 
Benito and the others to follow with the 
carreta. 

Other carts and riders were seen mak- 


A Ship Comes In 83 

ing their way to the same place. As 
they neared the Presidio, the road be¬ 
came filled with carts, oxen, and shout¬ 
ing Indian drivers. Friends called 
greetings to one another. This slowed 
up the progress of the whole group, and 
the twins grew restless. 

“Oh, please, Mother, let me get out 
and ride with Benito,” begged Loreta 
Delfin, who was cramped and tired from 
the jolting carreta and anxious to get to 
the Presidio, where she and Benito felt 
very much at home. 

“We can go much quicker than these 
oxen,” said Benito. 

“Very well, children, but remember 
not to wander away outside of the wall. 
Tell Salvador we are coming.” 

So off the twins went and were soon 
out of sight. 

The shabbiness of the soldiers, the di¬ 
lapidated buildings, and the general look 


84 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

of neglect about the Presidio were never 
noticed by Benito and Loreta Delfin. 
To-day the little garrison was dressed in 
its best and ready for review by the guests. 
One did not have to look closely to see 
how dingy the uniforms had grown and 
how often patched and mended they 
were. To the twins, the soldiers were as 
brilliant and jaunty as soldiers could be. 

Indeed, these neglected men wore 
their broad-brimmed, flat-crowned hats 
with an air. Every man’s plaited hair 
had a bit of green or red ribbon at its end. 
Loose about the neck hung the knotted 
kerchief, but no longer decorated with 
spangles. Their shirts were white and 
clean but of coarse cotton, oftentimes 
patched and darned, whereas once they 
boasted of the sheerest linen. The vests 
of yellow coleta were embroidered with 
black silk, and below them gay sashes of 
varied colors held up short breeches, 


A Ship Comes In 85 

which opened on the outside of the leg 
above the knee. A few buttons and 
loops still clung to the edge, and some of 
the soldiers could show white lace- 
trimmed drawers below. Scarcely a 
man could boast of the usual white wool 
or cotton stockings worn under the buck¬ 
skin riding-leggings, which reached 
to the instep. The garters holding these 
up were now without tassel or fringe. 
Their shoes had been made by the Indian 
cobblers at the Mission and were not like 
the usual ones worn with the gay uni¬ 
form. 

“Look, there is Salvador, and Do¬ 
mingo, too,” said Benito as he saw his 
brothers in the uniform of the officers of 
the Presidio. In contrast to the worn 
outfits of the soldiers, their scarlet coats, 
white trousers, and waistcoats faced 
with green made them look like gay trop¬ 
ical birds among sparrows. 


86 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

In the quadrangle formed by the work¬ 
shops, chapel, soldiers’ homes, and the 
Comandante’s house, the review took 
place. The scene was full of color and 
life. The gay costumes of the women 
and girls and the holiday attire of the 
rancheros nearly hid the drab buildings, 
which, except for the chapel and Coman¬ 
dante’s house, were not even white¬ 
washed, and in bad repair. A ten-foot 
wall of freestone shut in the merry party 
and seemed like protecting arms about 
these gay and heedless people alone in an 
unsettled country, with a great ocean be¬ 
fore them and untraveled miles of forests, 
deserts, and mountains behind. 

The review over, Benito and Loreta 
Delfin looked up their mother to ask her 
permission to go outside of the Presidio 
wall. 

“Do let us go to see if there are any 


A Ship Comes In 87 

strawberries left out on the hills near the 
ocean,” the twins asked. 

“You may,” said their mother, “if 
other children go with you. Be sure,” 
she cautioned, “not to go too near the 
cliffs, and do not climb down to the 
beach.” 

So off they ran to get up a party to go 
out to Fort Point to look over the berry- 
patches. Soon quite a group had 
gathered. 

“Let’s try to get a little food,” one boy 
suggested. “We’ll be awfully hungry 
before we get back, and the grown peo¬ 
ple may not leave us anything.” 

Not a child but knew how true this 
might be, for when there were picnics or 
large gatherings, the children ate last, 
and often only fruit and sweetmeats were 
left for them. 

They went eagerly to the place where 


88 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

dinner was being prepared in the open 
by Indian servants. Loreta Delfin saw 
Josefina and Juana and ran to beg a bite 
from them for all her friends. 

“Please give us a little something for 
our picnic?” she asked her Indian 
friends. There seemed to be plenty for 
all, and while the other servants were 
busying themselves over the open fires, 
tending stews and roasts, Josefina and 
Juana collected a basket of food for the 
children, and off they hurried before it 
could be taken away from them. 

Before going far, they sat down near 
a bubbling spring under a spreading 
oak tree and ate heartily of their lunch¬ 
eon. Every pastry, tamale, enchilada, 
and dulce disappeared in the most amaz¬ 
ingly short time. Such a feast for the 
children was a treat not often to be en¬ 
joyed, and every boy and girl made the 
most of it. 


A Ship Comes In 89 

After every crumb had disappeared, 
they stretched themselves on the grass to 
watch the leaves dancing in the breeze 
and the clouds floating lazily across the 
blue sky. Drowsy and content to do 
nothing, they lay quiet for a while. Be¬ 
fore long, however, they were up and 
eager to be doing something. The girls 
gathered golden poppies, cream-yellow 
buttercups and blue broditea for flower 
chains and wreaths. The boys threw 
their reatas lazily about, lassoing limbs 
and shrubs and now and then an unsus¬ 
pecting companion. 

“Oh, look!” Benito said in a loud 
whisper. “See the deer! Lots of them 
over there,” and he pointed across a little 
ravine where in a chaparral thicket stood 
a number of deer. 

They had seen the children before 
Benito pointed them out and were watch¬ 
ing quietly to see what would happen. 


90 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

As soon as Benito spoke, several of the 
boys jumped up and made off toward the 
deer. The shy creatures, though cu¬ 
rious enough, were not going to stand 
there and let their antlers be used for 
lasso targets. As the boys scrambled 
down the ravine, the deer turned and, 
with only a slight rustling of the brush, 
were gone before the boys reached them. 

“Oh, why did you scare them away?” 
called Loreta Delfin. “If we had been 
very quiet and hidden in the grass, per¬ 
haps they would have come to the spring 
to drink.” 

After that the children wandered off 
to look for strawberries, but not even the 
vines on the shady side of the hill had any 
berries left on them, though the crop had 
been plentiful that year. 

“My family came here to pick berries 
last year,” said one girl, “and we camped 


A Ship Comes In 91 

out for three days. We ate all we could 
and took loads home for jam.” 

“We were here this year,” said a boy, 
“and I hope we don’t come again. The 
grown-ups play and sing and dance and 
the children and Indians are supposed 
to do the picking, and it isn’t any fun.” 

Nearly all had at one time or another 
come with their families, when the straw¬ 
berries were ripe, and there were some 
who liked it and some who didn’t, but as 
Loreta Delfin said, “If you like straw¬ 
berries before you come, you don’t when 
you go home. I think it’s better to 
gather just a few instead of trying to take 
all there are on the hills.” 

Some of the boys and girls had gone 
up to the top of a hill where they could 
look down on the little harbor and the 
trading-ship lying at anchor. The road 
to the shore was filled with ox-carts, piled 


92 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

high with hides and bags of tallow. The 
squeak-squack of the wheels and the yells 
of the Indian drivers could be plainly 
heard where Loreta Delfin and Benito 
stood watching. A small boat was be¬ 
ing rowed toward land and several of the 
ship’s crew seemed to be coming ashore. 

“Have you ever been out to the 
ships?” one of the boys asked. 

“Oh, lots of times,” boasted Benito. 
“Once I climbed to the top of the mast 
and helped reef the sails, when a storm 
was coming up, and the wind blew so 
hard we had to hold on like monkeys.” 

“With your tail, I suppose,” said a boy, 
and then every one laughed. 

“Well, I hope it isn’t rough to-morrow 
when Father takes us out to the ship,” 
said Loreta Delfin. “Benito may like 
to play monkey, but I don’t want to be 
sick, and I do like to see the goods spread 
on the deck and watch people going 


A Ship Comes In 93 

back and forth choosing what they want. 
It’s like the stores Mother tells about in 
the cities of Spain and Mexico.” 

The sun went behind a fog-bank and 
the wind was growing cold, so the boys 
and girls raced down the hill and made 
their way back to the Presidio. They 
reached there just in time to find Don 
Carlos telling the ladies that if they 
wanted to go to the ship to select goods, 
it would have to be done right away, as 
the captain wanted to sail as early in the 
morning as possible. The crew were 
to load hides aboard all night and there 
would be no time to see the goods in the 
morning. 

This was a disappointment for most 
of the ladies. It would break into their 
siesta to go just then, and leave them 
scant time for preparations for the ball 
that evening. Lists were hurriedly 
made and entrusted to younger members 


94 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

of the family, who were all too ready to 
do the shopping. Don Carlos with 
Gertrudis, Benito, and Loreta Delfin 
started for the ship. 

“It is going to be a bit rough,” Don 
Carlos said, but all vowed that they were 
good sailors and could not be persuaded 
to stay on shore. 

They boarded small boats, with sev¬ 
eral other rancheros and their families. 
Benito found a seat beside one of the 
ship’s crew, who let him help with the 
rowing. Loreta Delfin and Gertrudis 
were glad enough to sit close to their 
father, who put an arm around each. 
In spite of heavy serapes thrown around 
their shoulders and across their knees, the 
girls were wet when they came alongside 
the Orion. 

It was quite a scramble, with such a 
choppy sea, to climb aboard the brig and 
Loreta Delfin thought Benito no more 



95 


THEY CAME ALONGSIDE THE ORION 













































































































































96 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

of a monkey at climbing than the others. 
She didn’t have much to say about it, 
however, for she was feeling a little ill 
and didn’t want to show it. Time 
enough to tease her brother, when they 
were both safe on shore again. 

It seemed as though most of the ship’s 
cargo was on the deck. There were 
dishes, furniture, farm implements, gro¬ 
ceries, bolts of silk and cloth, ribbons, 
buckles, combs, and laces, all piled to¬ 
gether in a more or less orderly manner. 
The buyers had to pick their way care¬ 
fully between piles and boxes of goods to 
see what was there. 

Don Carlos and one of the ship’s 
officers set about gathering up the ar¬ 
ticles required for his rancho and house¬ 
hold uses. Gertrudis and Loreta Delfin 
were allowed to choose the things for the 
family’s personal use and adornment. 
Benito was off somewhere with the sail- 


A Ship Comes In 97 

ors, with whom he made friends easily. 
While Loreta Delfin was helping select 
material for a dress for Prudencia and 
linen for new shirts for her father, they 
heard their names shouted overhead. 
Looking up, they saw Benito in the rig¬ 
ging, and Loreta Delfin thought him 
brave, indeed, to climb so high. 

When Don Carlos and the others fin¬ 
ished making their selections and had 
reckoned the amount of their purchases 
and listed the goods with the ship’s offi¬ 
cers, the call “All ashore!” was heard. 
They scrambled down into the small 
boats and were rowed back to land. 
The Captain promised that the sailors 
should work all night to bring the goods 
safely to shore and take back an equal 
value in hides and tallow, which the 
rancheros had been hauling all day to 
the beach. 

The ball that night was very gay, but 


98 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Benito and Loreta Delfin were too tired, 
after their long day in the open, to watch 
more than the opening dance. Soon the 
tinkling guitars and sighing fiddles were 
mixed in their dreams with the rhythm 
of the sea and the sound of the wind in 
the oaks and pines. 


CHAPTER V 

WASH-DAY 

W ASH-DAY! Wash-day! 

we’re going on a picnic,” 
chanted Loreta Delfin, one 
day in early summer. 

She had heard her mother, the day be¬ 
fore, arranging with a neighbor from the 
nearest rancho, to meet at the Laundry 
Spring, a few miles from the Casa del 
Arroyo. 

It was the custom to save soiled house¬ 
hold linen and family clothes several 
weeks, or longer. When the supply of 
clean clothes was nearly exhausted, the 
soiled linen was carried on horseback to 
a great spring, where stone tubs were 

99 


100 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

sunk in the ground and filled with water. 
Wash-day was an occasion for a family 
outing, and Benito and Loreta Delfin 
were looking forward to a day in the 
woods, playing with their neighbors, 
Manuel and Jacinta. 

At the first streak of light, the carreta 
was brought to the patio gate. Benito 
had been promised that he could walk 
beside the oxen and carry the long goad. 
The Indian driver was to plod along, too, 
in case Benito wished to run off after 
squirrels and gophers. 

These little animals would sit up and 
watch the strange, squeaky cart as it am¬ 
bled by, curious and fearless enough, 
until a great two-legged creature, called 
a boy, ran toward them. Then off they 
would dart to their holes, usually reach¬ 
ing safety before harm overtook them. 

Baskets of delicious food were loaded 
into the carreta, and three sleepy, chilly 

i) 

* o 


IOI 


W ash-Day 

children climbed in. Gertrudis, Lo- 
reta Delfin, and Tomas, who had hurt 
his leg while trying to break a colt, were 
riding in the carreta. Doha Maria 
Teresa planned to follow on horseback, 
when her household duties were attended 
to. Prudencia and Don Carlos prom¬ 
ised to join them for dinner at noon. 

It was gray dawn as the little cavalcade 
made its way slowly down the hill. The 
Indian girls from the Mission went 
ahead leading the horses laden with 
bundles of soiled linen. The carreta 
followed, squeaking in spite of the soap 
on the wheels. In the ravines the fog 
hung in garlands. A few birds sang 
matins to the early travelers. 

The sun finally rose to warm the 
world and cheer the children, who sat 
in silence, closely wrapped in their gay 
serapes to keep out the chill. Benito 
trudged along with the oxen, shouting, 


102 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Hora,” as he prodded them, now and 
then, with his goad. 

“Do you remember,” Tomas said to 
Gertrudis, “the time we went for a wash¬ 
day outing, and the coyotes howled so 
close to us that Mother was afraid to let 
us go into the woods for fear we would 
be hurt? Benito and Loreta Delfin 
were just big enough to run around and 
kept getting out of sight. When we 
were all little it certainly kept Mother 
busy watching us.” 

“Are we going to have breakfast as 
soon as we get there?” Benito asked. 
“I’m awfully hungry. You aren’t do¬ 
ing anything,” he said scornfully. “I 
am working hard keeping these old oxen 
going,” and back he ran to the head of 
the team to prod them along again. 

“There are a bear and two cubs!” 
Benito said in an excited whisper a few 
minutes later. 


Wash-Day 103 

“Where? Where?” They all said, 
looking around. 

The horses ahead of the carreta had 
seen the bears, too, and were shying and 
snorting. It was all the Indian girls 
could do to hold them on the trail. 

“Oh,” groaned Tomas, “if only I were 
riding, I’d get you a cub with my reata! 
What a chance to miss! I’ve wanted to 
lasso a bear ever since I can remember 
and Father won’t let me go to the hills to 
hunt them with the Indians. He said 
any good bear could pull me off my 
horse. This would have given me a 
chance to show him.” 

“You don’t think any bear would let 
you lasso her cub and just stand by and 
watch you do it?” asked Gertrudis in 
disgust. “You’d be torn to pieces by the 
mother. No wonder Father refuses to 
let you go bear-hunting! You need 
more sense, as well as strength!” 







104 


THE HORSES HAD SEEN THE BEARS, TOO 





















W ash-Day 105 

While Tomas and Gertrudis were talk¬ 
ing, the bear family turned and walked 
away at a leisurely gait to finish their 
breakfast elsewhere. 

“Oso! Oso!” shouted Benito after 
them, “you know there are nothing but 
women and children along, don’t you? 
We couldn’t harm you, if we would.” 

The family from the neighboring 
rancho were already at the springs when 
the troupe from the Casa del Arroyo 
reached them. Manuel was busy fasten¬ 
ing small lead balls to the ends of a 
strong line, several yards long. Jacinta 
was helping her mother and the Indian 
girls spread clean clothes on the bushes 
to dry. 

“Buenos dias! Buenos dias! every 
one,” the Flores family called. Greet¬ 
ings were exchanged and Senora Benicia 
inquired if the children had eaten. 

“Only desayuno, and we are all ready 


106 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

for our almuerzo!” Gertrudis answered. 
And what a second breakfast they ate! 

“Oh, Benito,” begged Loreta Delfin, 
“please leave something for our dinner 
and supper.” 

Benito thought perhaps his twelfth 
tortilla was enough, after all the frijoles 
and carne seca he had eaten, so over he 
rolled on the grass, more ready for a nap 
than anything else. 

Manuel was anxious to be off with his 
goose snare. He had seen geese cir¬ 
cling around, flying low enough to 
throw at. Benito had no snare line, but 
he was anxious to try Manuel’s. So the 
two boys went off together. 

“If you bring down a goose with that 
cord, you are a better man than I am,” 
Tomas called after them. “It takes lots 
of skill to whirl that weighted cord so it 
will fly high in the air and fall with the 
weights on opposite sides of a goose’s 


Wash-Day 107 

neck,” he explained to Loreta Delfin 
and Gertrudis after the boys had gone. 
“It brings down the goose, all right, 
when it works, but it takes lots of prac¬ 
tice.” 

Loreta Delfin told Jacinta all about 
the bear and cubs, as they sat in the shade 
after breakfast. 

“Tomas wanted to catch a cub for me, 
but I was glad he didn’t have his reata and 
wasn’t riding. It would have been a 
shame to have taken the baby from its 
mother. And besides, it would have 
scratched mighty hard. The mother 
bear would have fought for it, too.” 

“Our Indian boys brought a cub to the 
rancho once,” said Jacinta. “Manuel 
built a little corral for it, but in the night 
it got away, and I was glad.” 

“Is your mother coming?” asked Se- 
nora Benicia of Gertrudis. 

“Yes, she is, Senora Benicia. She is 


108 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

going to ride over later and Prudencia 
and Father are coming in time for din¬ 
ner,” Gertrudis replied. 

“Don Julio went to San Jose yester¬ 
day, so he cannot join us.” 

“Yes; Father wanted to go with him, 
but he has been busy rounding up and 
branding some broncos. That’s how I 
hurt my leg,” Tomas said. “I was rid¬ 
ing one of the wild things and he tried 
to scrape me off against a tree.” 

Before noon the Indian girls had fin¬ 
ished soaping and rubbing the clothes on 
the smooth stones and rinsing them in 
the cold clear spring water. Loreta 
Delfin, Jacinta, and Gertrudis helped 
spread them on the bushes and ground 
to dry, and then went off to gather wild 
flowers before it was time for dinner. 
Tomas sat in the shade, his back against 
a scrub oak, strumming his guitar and 
chatting with Senora Benicia. Dinner 


Wash-Day 109 

was being prepared when Dona Maria 
Teresa and Prudencia rode up with Don 
Carlos. 

Benito and Manuel came back just as 
dinner was ready, and they actually had 
a goose! Benito was the one who had 
brought it down and he was the proudest 
boy ever seen. 

“Benito certainly did learn to throw 
the line well,” Manuel said. “I never 
saw any one learn more quickly.” 

“Oh, it was just good luck that I got 
the goose,” Benito said. “Manuel can 
throw much higher than I. This goose 
was flying low.” 

“The trick,” said Manuel, “is in 
watching your goose and deciding when 
he is going to light, and to whirl your 
line so as to catch him before he gets too 
near the ground.” 

Dinner was delicious and eaten with 
relish. As there were only the two fam- 



BENITO HAD BROUGHT IT DOWN 


no 























Ill 


Wash-Day 

ilies present, the children were allowed 
to eat with their elders and had their full 
share of game-pie, pastry, broiled quail, 
and sweetmeats. After every one had 
eaten all he could, the Indian girls were 
allowed to have what remained of the 
dainties, which was a treat for them. 

Every one sought a cool quiet spot 
for a siesta. Jacinta and Loreta Delfin 
were not sleepy, and they giggled and 
whispered until Senora Benicia was 
obliged to come over where they were 
lying on the ground playing, and ask 
them to be still and not disturb the 
others. 

When the shadows began to lengthen 
in the Canada, Don Carlos, Benito and 
Manuel went up on the wooded hillside 
for a walk. The Spaniards of Alta 
California rarely went a dozen paces, 
except on horseback, and so it was a treat 


112 Benito and Lor eta Delfin 

for the boys to have Don Carlos with 
them on a walk. 

They had not gone far, Benito and 
Manuel running ahead, when Don Car¬ 
los called sharply, “Watch out! A bear 
trap!” 

The boys stopped short and looked 
about them on the ground, but saw noth¬ 
ing. Don Carlos came up to them and 
pointed to a tree just ahead. There, 
from a long horizontal limb, hung a 
quarter of beef. 

“And just underneath,” he said, “has 
been dug a deep pit.” 

“I don’t see where,” Benito replied. 

“Look closely, but don’t go too near, 
for it may be larger than I think,” Don 
Carlos told them. 

On looking closely, they saw that 
branches and a light covering of earth 
had been put over the pit to hide it from 
the bear. 


Wash-Day 113 

“That trap was set some time ago,” 
Don Carlos said. “How the meat 
smells! I think they will not catch any¬ 
thing here, it is too late in the year. 
Bears aren’t so hungry now.” 

“What happens when a bear falls into 
the pit?” Benito asked. 

“The bear tries to get the meat, of 
course, falls through the branches, is un¬ 
able to scramble out, and the Indians 
shoot it with bows and arrows,” Don 
Carlos replied. “Then they haul him 
out, skin him, and have a great feast and 
a welcome one, too, after the everlasting 
porridge they get at the Mission.” 

The three rambled on a while longer, 
looking for more traps and hoping to 
see a bear, but as twilight began to fall, 
they walked back to the spring only to 
find every one gone. Don Carlos’ horse 
and Prudencia’s were tied to a tree, im¬ 
patient to be off. 


114 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

“Well, Manuel, you and Benito had 
better climb on to Prudencia’s horse and 
come along with me.” 

It wasn’t long before the riders over¬ 
took the carreta. They learned that 
Loreta Delfin had gone home with Ja- 
cinta, and Manuel was to spend a few 
days with Benito. 

“Hurrah, hurrah!” shouted the boys 
and galloped off into the twilight, Don 
Carlos after them. It was too dark for 
races, however, and they trotted back to 
ride beside the carreta. 

The Indian girls led the horses, piled 
high with the fresh linen, neatly folded, 
now, and wrapped in serapes, to keep it 
clean. Now and then, the Indians 
would break into a low song, usually a 
hymn, which the padres had taught 
them. They sang it with a rhythm and 
tone much like their native chants, and 


Wash-Day 115 

for a time no one realized that they were 
singing a Christian hymn. 

So, under a sky of deepening blue, 
where big bright stars came out one by 
one, the family came back to the Casa 
del Arroyo. Lanterns twinkled at the 
gate where Gaspar and Felipe waited to 
unload the linen and take the saddles 
from the tired horses. Supper was wait¬ 
ing for the family. 

After they had eaten, evening prayers 
were said and all went to bed early and 
slept deeply, guarded by Hercules, the 
Kneeling One, whose brilliant stars 
shown in the eastern sky above the Casa 
del Arroyo. 


CHAPTER VI 

HARVESTING AT THE MISSION 

T HE fields around the Mission of 
San Francisco de Asis were yel¬ 
low with ripe wheat, and the 
time for harvest was at hand. Padre 
Toribio gave orders for cutting the grain 
and threshing it, and the Indian neo¬ 
phytes set about the task of gathering in 
the fruit of their labors. 

The weather was fine, the harvest 
promised plenty, but something was 
amiss. The good padre was disquieted 
and the look of great trouble showed in 
his face. Only the night before Padre 
Quijas had returned from a journey, 
which had taken him as far down the 

116 


Harvesting at the Mission 117 

Camino Real as Santa Barbara. The 
news he had brought was the cause of 
Padre Toribio’s heavy heart and sad 
face. 

Word was on every tongue about tak¬ 
ing the Mission property away from the 
Church, of setting free the Indian neo¬ 
phytes, and giving them their share of 
the Mission goods and lands. Years be¬ 
fore, letters from Mexico had hinted of 
such a scheme. In Alta California the 
decree had not been taken seriously and 
the padres had gone on with their work. 
The fear of Secularization, as this 
scheme was called, haunted fields and 
workshops, shaded cloister and quiet 
cell, as up and down the Camino Real 
the padres talked to one another, prayed 
alone, or watched over their brown chil¬ 
dren at work. 

Padre Toribio left his fellow-worker 
to take charge of the harvesting and 


Ii8 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

made his way alone across the fields and 
up the hill to the Casa del Arroyo. He 
wanted to think and to talk things over 
with Don Carlos, who had never failed 
him in times when he needed advice and 
help. 

It was still early when Padre Toribio 
knocked at the gate. He found the fam¬ 
ily at breakfast in the logia. 

“Padre Toribio, what brings you here, 
so early?” was the unspoken word on 
every lip. 

His solemn face sent a chill to their 
hearts, but every one did his best to be 
cheerful and make the good man com¬ 
fortable, and hospitality bade them keep 
their questions to themselves. 

“Come, sit here, Padre,” Don Carlos 
said, as he brought forward a big chair 
made of well-tanned hides. 

Prudencia served him with chocolate 
and tortillas and the old man smiled, 



IT WAS STILL EARLY WHEN PADRE TORIBIO KNOCKED 

AT THE GATE 


119 


» 







































































































120 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

grateful for their kindness. The food 
refreshed him, and after he had rested a 
while, he seemed more like himself. 

“Don Carlos, could we talk a little, 
and you, too, Doha Senora?” Padre To- 
ribio said, at last. 

“Certainly, Padre,” replied Don Car¬ 
los. “Certainly.” 

“Go, children,” he said to Gertrudis, 
Tomas, Benito and Loreta Delfin. 

“Prudencia,” said her mother, “see 
that the Indian girls are put to work. 
Josefina will need extra help for clean¬ 
ing the despensa,” she said. “Give her 
two of the Mission girls for the work.” 

When the elders had been left alone, 
Don Carlos said gently and respectfully, 
“What troubles you, good Padre? 
How can we be of help to you?” 

“Oh, my friends,” Padre Toribio re¬ 
plied, looking at them earnestly, “the 
time has come when the Missions and 


Harvesting at the Mission 121 

the padres need friends on earth as well 
as in Heaven. It is Secularization 
closing in on us, this time in earnest, I 
fear, and not to be put off. 

“Brother Quijas came home yesterday 
from a trip to the Missions south of us. 
He has been studying better ways of 
working in the fields and shops, that we 
might improve our methods and increase 

4 

our prosperity. To the Glory of God 
and Saint Francis,” he added. 

“All along the way, the talk is about 
giving over the Mission property to the 
State, turning the Indians free, and giv¬ 
ing them a share of the land and goods. 
In Spain, it is said that our work is fin¬ 
ished, now that the Indian tribes have 
been subdued and the way prepared for 
settlers. The plan is to make pueblos 
and presidios flourish, where the Mis¬ 
sions now stand.” 

“What folly!” Senora Flores said. 


122 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Yes, daughter, more than folly,” the 
padre went on. “What do our rulers in 
Spain know of Alta California and the 
conditions here! They only know that 
we have grown rich and our work has 
prospered. They care nothing for the 
years of labor, watchfulness and devo¬ 
tion we have given, and must always 
give to the work, if it is to continue to be 
prosperous. 

“The Indians,” he said, “what could 
they do alone? Savages!” but added, 
quickly, “No, children; my brown chil¬ 
dren; able to work under direction, help¬ 
less without guidance. How soon they 
would go back to the state in which we 
found them, without the restraints and 
limitations the Church puts on them. 

“I fear, greatly,” the old man added, 
“for what will become of them, when we 
are gone.” 


Harvesting at the Mission 123 

“And what will become of usf” Dona 
Maria Teresa asked. 

Don Carlos, who had sat in silent 
thought, as Padre Toribio spoke, now 
leaned forward and asked, 

“Has a decree actually been issued, or 
is this only rumor?” 

“At San Carlos and San Juan Bau¬ 
tista, where the padres most quickly hear 
of the actions of the Governor at Mon¬ 
terey, it was said that Sola has received an 
order to demand the surrender of the 
Mission properties. He has sent no 
word to the Presidente of the Missions, 
as yet, I believe.” 

“Well,” said Don Carlos, “perhaps it 
is not too late to prevent a decree being is¬ 
sued. Padre Toribio, if necessary, I 
will go to Monterey to see Sola myself. 
I cannot promise success. I will get as 
many of my influential friends as possi- 


124 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

ble to help me and perhaps we can make 
Spain see how necessary the Missions and 
the padres still are to Alta California.” 

“My son,” said Padre Toribio, with 
tears of gratitude in his eyes, “God’s 
blessing on you, and your friends, and 
may success crown your efforts. We 
will pray for you and, if possible, I will 
send word to my brothers in each of the 
other Missions, and prayers will go up 
for you from San Rafael Arcangel to 
San Diego. 

“And now,” he said, rising, “I must 
go back to the harvest.” 

As he walked out into the patio, he 
saw Benito and Loreta Delfin playing 
their favorite game of cuatrito. 

“Who wins?” Padre Toribio called. 

Benito was just about to toss his stone. 
Padre Toribio stopped to watch him. 
The stone went past the mark. 

“Loreta Delfin wins,” Benito said, as 



MISSION SAN CARLOS DE BORROMEO (CARMEL) 


125 



































































































126 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

he picked up his stone. “She has out- 
thrown me every time.” 

“Would you two like to go with me to 
the threshing-field,” the padre asked 
them. 

“Oh, yes,” they both said at once, “if 
we may.” 

“I will ask for you,” the padre said. 

“Oh, then I’m sure we can go!” And 
they were right. 

It was such a fine day that all three 
decided to walk. The drab-clad priest, 
with Benito on one side and Loreta 
Delfin on the other, soon forgot his wor¬ 
ries as the three set off to watch the grain 
being trodden out in the primitive fash¬ 
ion used by the Mission Indians. 

When they reached the era or thresh¬ 
ing-floor, a large quantity of bundled 
grain had already been put on the hard 
smooth ground. Three or four Indian 
vaqueros had rounded up about seventy- 


Harvesting at the Mission 127 

five mares and were waiting to turn them 
onto the threshing-floor. 

As the last bundle of grain was 
dumped, the signal was given and the 
band of horses driven into the enclosure. 
The vaqueros, on powerful horses, with 
long whips in their hands, were skillfully 
lining up the mares to drive them round 
and round over the grain, to tread it out. 

“Yeguas! Yeguas!” they shouted as 
the horses started on their way. Chaff 
and dirt filled the air, and at times only 
the shouts of the Indians and the tramp¬ 
ing of the horses could be heard above 
the clouds of dust, which completely hid 
the era. When the mares grew dizzy, 
they were halted and turned the other 
way and the work was continued. As 
the grain was threshed out, Indians shov¬ 
eled it aside, keeping the space clear for 
newly cut wheat, which was being un¬ 
loaded continually. 


128 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Padre Toribio, how do they ever get 
the grain whole and clean out of all that 
dirt?” Loreta Delfin asked. 

“Haven’t you ever seen the Indian 
women toss it into the air on a windy 
day from big, flat baskets?” Benito asked 
Loreta Delfin. 

“The wind carries off the dirt and 
chaff, and the good clean grain falls to 
the ground,” Padre Toribio told her. 
“We often have the men toss it into the 
air from large wooden shovels. We 
thresh beans in the same way, only the 
beans are broken easily, by the tramp¬ 
ing horse.” 

“If the wind blows this afternoon, the 
women will winnow the grain and you 
shall come back to watch them, if you 
please,” said the padre. 

“Oh, yes, do let us,” the twins said. 

“Come now, children, we will go to 


Harvesting at the Mission 129 

the Mission. It will soon be time for 
our dinner.” 

Padre Toribio beckoned to a neophyte 
who came running to him. “Amad a’ 
Dios, higo! (Love God, my son),” the 
padre said. The neophyte replied, 
“Amad a’ Dios, Padre (Love God, 
Father).” 

“Bring us two horses, Gregorio. We 
would ride back to the Mission.” 

“Yes, Padre,” the Indian replied and 
went off to do his master’s bidding. 

No caballero would ride a mare in 
Alta California, but the gentle padre 
was not proud, and when Gregorio 
brought two mares from those waiting 
to be used in the era, he thanked the 
Indian and accepted his help into the 
saddle. The children rode bareback, 
Benito holding the reins with Loreta 
Delfin behind him. 


I 


130 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

At the Mission they were met by Padre 
Quijas. Indian servants took the horses 
and others brought a refreshing drink 
and wafers to the four of them in a quiet, 
cool room. 

Padre Quijas was a young man and a 
great help to the older friar. He was 
skilled in the crafts, as well as in learn¬ 
ing, and under his teaching the Indians 
were turning out beautiful work in 
leather and metal. He was full of the 
new things he had seen on his trip, but, 
as yet, had scarcely had a minute to talk 
to Padre Toribio about them. 

There was a new water-power mill at 
San Gabriel for grinding grain, the first 
one at any Mission, he thought. He 
was enthusiastic about the way the 
simple wheel, moved by the flowing 
water, had been made to turn the stones 
that ground the flour and meal. 

“Oh, so much better than our old ar- 


Harvesting at the Mission 131 

rastra with the blindfolded oxen going 
slowly round and round, hitched to the 
beam of the upper stone,” he said. 

“Perhaps we could build a water-mill 
here,” Padre Quijas went on. “Water 
could be brought from the hills, as it is 
at San Gabriel.” 

“Yes, my brother, yes,” the older priest 
replied, “if only things would remain as 
they are.” And Padre Toribio’s face 
grew thoughtful and sad and he soon 
walked away leaving Benito and Loreta 
Delfin with Padre Quijas. 

“Do tell us,” Loreta Delfin said, 
“What is it like at the other Missions?” 

“Oh, no!” said Benito. “Tell us a 
story, won’t you, please, Padre?” 

“Yes,” agreed his sister, “I’d rather 
have a story, too, if you will tell us one.” 

“Do you know the story of the An- 
gelus bell of San Gabriel Mission?” 
Padre Quijas asked. 


132 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Please tell us; please tell us!” Benito 
and Loreta Delfin said eagerly. 

So the friar began, and the children 
settled themselves to listen. “Near Se¬ 
ville, in Spain, was the bell foundry of 
Paula Ruelas. One day the monks and 
nuns, with the poor of the town, gathered 
around a fire-pit to watch the moulding 
of a bell. Two men stirred a big caul¬ 
dron brimming full of molten copper 
and tin. The model shell stood ready, 
waiting to have the hot metal poured 
into it. 

“It was the custom to ask for a silver 
offering to sweeten the voice of a bell. 
To-day, Ruelas feared nothing would be 
given, for the gathering was humble and 
poor. When the request was made, up 
stepped a nine-year-old boy named 
Miguel and dropped his only silver coin 
into the pot. 


Harvesting at the Mission 133 

“Miguel came every day to the foun¬ 
dry to watch the workmen trim the bell. 
After each cutting, the tone was tested 
with a swinging clapper, and every day 
the tone grew sweeter. At last it was de¬ 
clared perfect, and the bell was called 
Angelus. 

“A day was set for the christening of 
the bell and Miguel was to be its silver 
sponsor. How proud and happy he 
was, as he stood there with a lighted taper 
in his hand! The Bishop and two at¬ 
tendants began to intone the prayers of 
exorcism against all evils of the air. 
The bell was washed with pure water 
mixed with salt, and dried with clean 
towels. It was then breathed upon to 
drive out the Devil. They anointed it 
with oil, and finally the censer was set 
beneath it. As the fragrant smoke rose 
within, the priests sprinkled the bell 


134 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

thrice with holy water and named it Ave 
Maria Santissima. The Bishop said, 
‘May this bell be hallowed, O Lord, and 
consecrated in the name of the Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost. Praise be to 
Thee.’ 

“Miguel felt bound to the Angelus 
bell by bonds neither time nor distance 
could break. When he grew up, he be¬ 
came a Franciscan monk and, as Padre 
Miguel Sanchez, he consecrated his life 
to sacrifice. 

“A call came for workers among the 
Indians in America, and he felt it was 
for him to go as a missionary into that 
far-off land. He traveled from Spain 
to Mexico and from Mexico, with an In¬ 
dian guide, he set out for Alta Cali¬ 
fornia. 

“It was evening of the fourth day of 
his journey in the wilderness when he 
came to the Mission of San Gabriel just 


Harvesting at the Mission 135 

as the Angelus bell was ringing. Its 
sweet tones wakened memories in his 
heart. He found the bell marked: 

1 

Ave Maria Santissima 
Paula Ruelas 

NE FECIT 

1730 

“With gratitude, he thanked God that 
he had found his bell. Through all the 
long years of his work at San Gabriel, 
he rang the bell at Angelus, with his own 
hands. 

“It is said that as he went to his last 
rest, an old man, the bell rang itself, and 
from the sunset sky were heard the bells 
in Heaven ringing out a welcome to his 
pious soul, as it came into the company 
of the angels.” 

“What a beautiful story,” said Loreta 
Delfin. 


136 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Thank you very much,” said Benito. 

Just then a bell was heard calling the 
Indians in from their work. Padre 
Quijas excused himself and went to see 
that the noon meal of porridge and vege¬ 
table stew was given each neophyte, as he 
walked in line past the great pots in the 
courtyard, holding out a closely woven 
basket for his portion. 

While the Indians ate and rested, din¬ 
ner was served by the Mission servants 
to the two padres and their young guests. 
The food was good, but simple, and was 
eaten in silence. 

Following dinner came the usual 
siesta, and when it was over, Benito went 
out to watch the Indians winnow the 
grain they had threshed in the morning. 

“May I try tossing the grain?” Benito 
asked an Indian in charge of the winnow¬ 
ing. 

They gave him a shovel and he tossed 


Harvesting at the Mission 137 

some grain into the air. Unfortunately, 
at that moment, a gust of wind came 
from the wrong direction, and blew all 
the stubble and trash back into his face. 
His eyes and mouth were full of dust. 
When he could see again he dropped his 
shovel and went away in disgust. The 
Indians were skillful about their work, 
seeming to know from which way the 
wind would come and turning just 
enough to avoid Benito’s accident. 

Loreta Delfin spent the afternoon 
watching the Indian women and girls 
at their lace-making and embroidery. 
Some of the girls, who had learned to 
do the finest stitches, were embroidering 
vestments and doing drawn-work for 
altar-cloths, to be used at the Mission. 

Padre Quijas was going to take Benito 
and Loreta Delfin out to the rancheria, 
where the Indian families lived, in eight 
long rows of huts, when Don Carlos rode 


138 Benito and L,oreta Delfin 

up to the Mission gate to take the twins 
home. They were disappointed not to 
visit the Indian huts, but were too polite 
to complain. Padre Toribio had a horse 
brought for each of them, and this 
helped to make up for not seeing the In¬ 
dian families. 

“Thank you, Padre Toribio, for giv¬ 
ing us a wonderful day,” said Benito. 

“And thank you, Padre Quijas, for 
telling us such a nice story.” 

“Come again, children,” said the 
friars, and waved to them from the Mis¬ 
sion steps, as they started off, eager to tell 
their father about the experiences of the 
day. 


CHAPTER VII 


A TRIP TO ROSS 



ON CARLOS did not forget 
his promise to Padre Toribio 
to go to Monterey to see the 
Governor, but important matters kept 
him at home. The summer was nearly 
over, when one day he quite surprised the 
family at dinner by saying, “Tomas and 
Benito, how would you like to go north 
with me to the Russian settlement at 
Ross? I want company, as it is a long 
trip.” 

The boys’ eyes grew big and they were 
almost too excited to say, “Yes, Father, 
we should be happy to go! When do we 
start?” 


139 



140 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Carlos, do you think it wise to take 
the boys?” Dona Maria Teresa asked 
anxiously. 

“My dear, the trip will be hard, but 
not dangerous. The Russians are 
friendly, and I believe there are no hos¬ 
tile Indians between here and there. 

“Besides,” he said, “this must appear 
to be a pleasure trip. I cannot, of 
course, go officially as a representative 
of either the Governor or the Mission. 
There are matters about our trading 
which must be talked over and agreed 
upon, and Padre Toribio has asked me to 
try to arrange them to the advantage of 
all. We will take Felipe and Gaspar 
with us and call it a hunting trip.” 

Dona Maria Teresa knew from the 
tone of her husband’s voice that it was 
useless to say any more against the jour¬ 
ney. Tomas and Benito were overjoyed 


A Trip to Ross 141 

at the prospect of a real adventure, and 
were bursting with questions. The next 
few days were given over to preparing 
and packing such provisions as they 
would need for the trip. 

“I wish I were not a girl,” Loreta 
Delfin complained, “so I could go with 
you to Ross.” 

“No girls on this trip,” said Tomas. 
“They say there isn’t a Russian woman 
at the settlement, either.” 

“Oh, well,” said Loreta Delfin, “girls 
can do some things boys cannot. By the 
time you get back, I’ll know all the steps 
to the bamba and some day you’ll be 
proud to pile your hats on my head as 
they do to show approval of the best 
dancers.” 

Loreta Delfin whirled gracefully 
around and held out her hand, as though 
balancing a glass of water on it, and bent 


142 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

lithely over to pick up a handkerchief 
with her toe, in imitation of one of the 
parts of the bamba. 

“Bravo, bravo, sister,” cried the boys, 
“you will be a great dancer some day.” 

The day came for the departure to 
Ross. Don Carlos, Tomas and Benito 
were ready for an early start. Gaspar 
and Felipe held the horses at the patio 
gate. Don Carlos inspected the pack 
horses, which were laden with food and 
camp equipment. They would pass no 
ranch houses at which they could eat or 
stay at night, in the part of Alta Califor¬ 
nia through which they would travel. 

“Come, boys,” said Don Carlos, “all 
is ready.” 

Gaspar and Felipe started ahead, lead¬ 
ing the pack horses. There was a round 
of good-byes and good lucks, and the 
three were off. At the bottom of the 
hill they turned and waved to the girls 


A Trip to Ross 143 

and their mother watching them from 
the patio gate, with Domingo, who had 
come from the Presidio to stay while the 
others were away. 

It was a bright sparkling day and the 
bay was blue and clear. There was not 
breeze enough to use a sail, and Don 
Carlos said they would have to row 
across the bay. Tomas and Benito kept 
looking across the water to the moun¬ 
tains on the other shore. Every ridge 
and almost every tree seemed to stand 
out, clear cut, in the morning air. 

The Indians called the highest of these 
mountains Tamalpais, the Sleeping 
Maiden, and on so clear a day, the out¬ 
line of her figure, against the blue sky 
was plainly seen. 

“Do you see her?” Tomas asked Be¬ 
nito, “that’s her head, there,” he pointed. 
“Her feet are toward the ocean.” 

“Oh, yes,” said Benito, “I see her. 


144 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

That’s her hair streaming down the long 
slope to the bay.” 

“Do we have to climb that mountain?” 
Tomas asked Don Carlos. 

“No, we go by boat past Alcatraz, 
named after the pelicans which live there, 
on past the Isla de los Angeles and up the 
bay to San Raphael. There we find a 
new Mission, where they send the sick, I 
believe. We will get horses there and 
guides and go over the hills to Bodega 
and then up the coast to Ross.” 

They found the boats ready; the sturdy 
Indian oarsmen idling on the shore. It 
took some time to unpack the horses, 
stow the goods away in the boats, and de¬ 
cide in which boats they were to sit. 
Benito and Tomas wanted to be together, 
Don Carlos wanted to be with the boys, 
but felt that he should be in the other boat 
to take command. He finally decided 
to let Tomas, Benito, and Gaspar, the 


A Trip to Ross 145 

older and more responsible servant, go 
in one boat while he and Felipe went in 
the other. 

The loads were about equal and the 
oarsmen well matched, and the two boats 
kept together during their trip across the 
bay. At the start the bay was smooth 
enough, but as they got out, where the 
wind blew in from the ocean between the 
cliffs, it was rough, and harder rowing. 
The Indians were strong and steady, and 
before noon they had reached the quiet 
waters of the other shore. 

In a cove w'here there stood a sausalito, 
or small grove of willows, they found a 
landing-place. Ships’ crews came here 
for water and fuel. Both boats were 
made fast, and the men and boys went 
ashore to stretch their legs and eat some 
lunch. Not much time could be spent 
in pleasant idling, though Benito and 
Tomas wanted to stay and explore, for it 


146 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

would take most of the afternoon to row 
to San Raphael. The bay was sheltered 
all the way, and Tomas and Benito took 
turns at the oars. The shadows were 
long as they landed at San Raphael. 

“My legs are certainly stiff,” said 
Benito. 

“Our arms will be stiffer by morning, 
I am afraid,” replied Tomas. “We aren’t 
used to rowing.” 

Gaspar and Felipe went up the hill to 
the Mission San Raphael Arcangel, to 
get horses to carry their stores. They 
were gone so long that the boats were un¬ 
loaded and several of the Indians had 
started with packs on their backs, before 
Felipe and Gaspar returned with one 
lone mule. 

“Is this all you could get?” Don Car¬ 
los asked. 

“Yes, Master. Padre do not have 
many horses, all gone up into hills. No 


A Trip to Ross 147 

one can find,” Gaspar answered in his 
limited Spanish. 

“Let us load up the mule,” said Don 
Carlos, “and the rest will carry what is 
left. Did you tell them we were coming 
to spend the night?” 

“Yes, Master, padre he says, ‘Wel¬ 
come.’ ” 

The Mission San Raphael Arcangel 
had been established but a few years. 
The buildings were small and crude com¬ 
pared with those at the other Missions. 
As yet, but few Indians had been per¬ 
suaded to work there for the glory of 
God and Spain. 

Padre Sarria and his fellow-worker 
came to meet the strangers and wel¬ 
comed them heartily. 

“Your name, traveler?” the elder of 
the padres asked Don Carlos. 

“Don Carlos Flores, ranchero from 
near the Mission San Francisco de Asis. 


148 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

These are my sons Tomas and Benito. 
We are on our way to the Russian settle¬ 
ment, Ross. A pleasure trip,” he added, 
“to give the boys some hunting and a 
chance to see the country” 

“Welcome to you,” the padre replied, 
“and God’s blessing.” 

When they had unloaded their packs, 
an Indian servant brought a tray of 
earthen cups and a pitcher of aguardi¬ 
ente and water, for the refreshment of the 
travelers. Gaspar and Felipe took 
charge of Don Carlos’ stores and then 
went off with the Indian servants to chat 
in their own language. 

The two padres were eager for news 
from other Missions and the affairs of the 
country. Don Carlos was kept busy 
answering their questions. 

“The Secularization threat is troubling 
the padres again,” Don Carlos said. 
“Padre Toribio is much worried, and I 


A Trip to Ross 149 

have promised him to plead his cause be¬ 
fore the Governor at Monterey.” 

“What the Presidios would do without 
the Missions to supply them with food 
and clothes, I do not know,” said Padre 
Sarria, and added, “these Indians could 
never make the land yield as it does now, 
or produce the cloth, wine, hides, and 
tallow they do, without the padres behind 
them.” 

Benito and Tomas were glad when an 
Indian servant told them that dinner was 
ready, for they were drowsy and tired 
and hungry. As soon as they had eaten, 
the boys were shown a clean, cell-like 
room, where their blankets had been un- • 
rolled on a bed made of hides. They 
felt strange so far away from home, but 
the day in the open made them fall asleep 
quickly without talking. 

At daybreak they were wakened by 
Felipe, who helped them roll up their 


150 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

blankets. A good breakfast was ready 
for them in the refectory. Don Carlos 
was just finishing when Benito and 
Tomas came into the room. 

Gaspar and Felipe were waiting with 
the pack horses loaded. Two Indians 
who knew the trail over the hills to 
Bodega were told to go with them as 
guides. While the boys finished break¬ 
fast, Don Carlos went down to the boat¬ 
landing to see the two boats start back to 
San Francisco. He had trusted them 
with a letter to Senora Flores and one to 
Padre Toribio telling them all was well 
and that they were about to start over the 
hills to Bodega. 

When all was ready, the padres came 
to give their blessing to the travelers. 
Good-byes were said, and off they started, 
with a promise to stop on the return trip. 
As they reached the top of the first hill, 


A Trip to Ross 151 

they heard the Mission bells ringing to 
call the neophytes to early Mass. 

“I wonder how many hills like this we 
shall climb before we come to Ross?” 
Benito asked Tomas, as they rode along 
together. 

“As far as I can see,” Tomas replied, 
“there are just hills and hills, but we keep 
going toward the ocean, so we shall come 
to the end of them some time.” 

For three days they followed the In¬ 
dian guides over golden-brown hills. 
During the heat of the day, they rested in 
the cool ravines, where ferns grew under 
the oaks. At night they camped in the 
open under the stars. Gaspar and Fe¬ 
lipe kept the camp-fire burning all night 
to keep away bears and wolves. They 
saw many elk and deer, and feasted on 
quail, hares, and fish which they caught 
as needed. 



152 


AS FAR AS I CAN SEE, THERE ARE JUST HILLS AND HILLS 


















A Trip to Ross 153 

On the third day they came to the top 
of a hill from which they could see the 
ocean. There below them was the port 
of Bodega. They could plainly see the 
big warehouses for storing supplies for 
the settlement at Ross and the Russian 
colony at Sitka. 

There was considerable activity to be 
seen. A small fleet of large skin boats, 
or umiaqs, manned by fifteen oarsmen 
each, had just come in from the Faral- 
lones Islands, laden with oil, dried meat 
of gulls and sea-lions, sealskins, eggs and 
down from thousands of gulls and other 
sea birds which had been killed on the 
islands. 

Since seals were no longer plentiful 
on the Farallones, the fur-gathering ac¬ 
tivities there had almost ceased. Only 
one Russian with from six to ten Aleuts 
lived on the rocky islands. There they 
fought the winds and storms, climbing, 


154 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

day after day, to gather the eggs of sea¬ 
birds, which nested high on the cliffs; 
hunting and killing sea-lions that came 
to sun themselves on the rock of sheltered 
coves, and working unceasingly to pre¬ 
pare the products of this industry. Five 
or six times a year, only, the frail skin 
boats made the perilous trip from the 
mainland. These brought wood and 
water and news of life at Ross and tales of 
the hardships at Sitka, to the men whose 
lives were lived in earthen huts on the 
storm-beaten rocks. 

Benito and Tomas felt strange, indeed, 
in Bodega, for no one there spoke Span¬ 
ish. The Aleuts and Indians spoke a 
dialect strange to their guides, and the 
Russians neither understood nor spoke 
Spanish. At last Don Carlos found a 
Russian officer who could understand 
him and speak a little Spanish. He told 
him of his plan to go to Ross. The Rus- 


A Trip to Ross 155 

sian was very friendly and offered to be 
his escort for the rest of the trip. He 
was going to Ross that same day, so they 
could go on together. 

Don Carlos dismissed his Indian 
guides and sent them back to the Mission 
with the horses he had borrowed from 
the padres. New animals were packed 
and the trip to Ross was made in the 
company of the Russian officer. 

Ross was a most surprising place. 
High on a seventy-foot cliff, overlooking 
the ocean was about a square mile of 
nearly level ground. A stockade, 
formed of thick beams set upright, about 
ten or twelve feet high, was surmounted 
by a horizontal beam, on which were 
wooden and iron spikes. This stockade 
was pierced with loopholes. Six-sided 
block-houses, with high steep roofs, were 
on two corners of it. In these towers, 
and on the gates to the inclosure, were 


156 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

cannon mounted on carriages. It 
looked more like a fort than a hunting 
and trading-post. 

Inside the stockade were Command¬ 
ant’s house, officers’ quarters, barracks 
for the Russian workmen, a chapel, and 
various storehouses and offices. Don 
Carlos and the boys were taken at once to 
the Commandant’s house and were given 
a most cordial invitation to stay there 
while they were at Ross. This they ac¬ 
cepted with pleasure. 

Next morning, before their host was 
about, Tomas found Benito feeling of 
the glass windows. 

“Don’t you know what glass is?” he 
asked. 

“We don’t have it in our house and I 
never saw it at the Mission,” Benito re¬ 
plied. “It must be to keep out the cold 
and the rain and let in the light.” 

“Oh, look at all these books, Tomas,” 


A Trip to Ross 157 

Benito said, pointing to a wall lined with 
books in beautiful bindings. 

“What is this?” Tomas asked, cau¬ 
tiously touching the keys of a piano. 

Neither of them had ever seen a piano, 
and they were both surprised to hear it 
make musical sounds. As both boys 
played the guitar and sang well, they 
were soon interested in picking out a 
tune, and did not hear the Commandant 
enter the room. It startled them when a 
voice spoke in a strange language. 
They could not understand what was 
said, and stood abashed, not knowing 
how to reply. 

The Russian officer was friendly, and 
seeing they were interested in the piano, 
he sat down and played a lively, tinkling 
melody. Then he sang a song in Rus¬ 
sian, and Tomas and Benito clapped 
their hands to show their appreciation 
and pleasure. The little musical enter- 


158 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

tainment went on until breakfast time, to 
the delight of the boys, who soon forgot 
they did not understand Russian. 

At breakfast Don Carlos discovered 
that several of the Russian officers had 
been to Alta California and had learned 
some Spanish during their trading activ¬ 
ities. They were apparently pleased to 
have guests, and eager to show them 
about. 

Everything was in perfect order, well 
equipped and provided for, so different 
from the dilapidated and run-down con¬ 
dition of the Spanish Presidios. Here 
there was strict discipline for the Rus¬ 
sian workmen, as well as the Indians and 
Aleuts, who lived outside of the stockade 
in earthen huts. 

The work of fields and shops was be¬ 
ing carried on ably, but it was hard to 
make successful farmers out of the 
Aleuts, who were born hunters and fish- 


A Trip to Ross 159 

ermen. However, the Spanish in Alta 
California kept the granaries filled, and 
they could raise enough vegetables to 
supply their needs. 

Benito and Tomas were very much in¬ 
terested in the workshops, the tannery, 
and the windmill. At the foot of the 
cliff was a small wharf, a shed for the skin 
boats, a warehouse for lumber, and a 
blacksmith shop. 

A vessel was being built, and Benito 
and Tomas were allowed to climb up on 
the hull and watch the workmen at their 
tasks. All day long they scrambled over 
the rocks along the shore, raced on the 
beach, or went from one activity to an¬ 
other, watching the workmen. 

That evening, the best that Ross could 
offer was set before Don Carlos and his 
sons at the Commandant’s house, where 
the Russian officers had gathered to en¬ 
tertain their guests. After dinner there 


160 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

was music. The Commandant played 
again for them, and asked Benito and 
Tomas to sing a Spanish song for the 
company. This they gladly did, and at 
the end of the long ballad they were ap¬ 
plauded loudly by the Russians. Don 
Carlos and the officers who understood 
Spanish, talked long and earnestly. It 
was agreed that it were better, here in the 
wilderness, if all could be friends, even 
though fear and jealousy existed in Eu¬ 
rope between the Governments of Spain 
and Russia. If the Spaniards would 
trade grain, tallow, and hides for the 
manufactured articles the Russian ships 
brought to Alta California, every one 
would be more comfortable. Each year 
more and more of the rancheros, like 
Don Carlos, made friends with the Rus¬ 
sians, and the Spanish Governor, him¬ 
self, closed his eyes to the illegal trading. 

Next day, an umiaq was to go from 


A Trip to Ross 161 

Ross to Bodega. Tomas and Benito 
were overjoyed when Don Carlos ac¬ 
cepted the invitation to make the trip in 
it. Felipe and Gaspar were equally de¬ 
lighted when Don Carlos sent them off 
with the pack horses overland to Bo¬ 
dega. The Indians were at home on any 
kind of a horse, but the thought of a trip 
on the ocean, in a boat made of sea-lion 
hides, gave them no pleasure at all. 

Indeed, it was an adventure! It was 
necessary to go quite far out from land to 
avoid the rocks and shoals. To Tomas 
and Benito, brought up on land, the roll 
and dip of the boat as it slid up and 
down over the waves did not altogether 
give pleasure. They were plucky and 
said little of their discomfort, but the 
Aleuts, who took to the water like seals, 
were very much amused at the uneasi¬ 
ness of their passengers. When they 
were safe on land again, both boys de- 



162 


INDEED, IT WAS AN ADVENTURE! 













































A Trip to Ross 163 

dared they wouldn’t have missed the trip, 
even if it had frightened them a little and 
made them sea-sick. 

The remainder of the journey home 
was very uneventful. They traveled 
back to San Raphael over the same trail 
they had come over, and down the bay to 
the Presidio of San Francisco, but, as 
Benito said: 

“Things look different when you go 
backwards.” 


CHAPTER VIII 


TO MONTEREY FOR THE WINTER 

D ON CARLOS left the rancho 
after the last harvest of grain 
was in at the Mission San 
Francisco de Asis, and arrived in Mon¬ 
terey on a warm day, when the bay was 
bluer than the sky. The low, white¬ 
washed adobe houses with red-tiled 
roofs were scattered about, back from the 
water front, in friendly irregularity. 
There were no streets and only a few 
fenced-in yards and gardens. Behind 
the town rose wood-covered hills. 

The Presidio of Monterey was much 
like that at San Francisco. An open 
square surrounded by barracks, work- 

164 


To Monterey for the Winter 165 

shops, the chapel and the Governor’s 
house. Within the square were six or 
eight cannon, some mounted, some not, 
all looking peaceful enough, and for the 
purpose of defence they were quite use¬ 
less. A wall ten or twelve feet high sur¬ 
rounded the Presidio and the settlement. 
Outside this wall were a few houses be¬ 
longing to foreigners who had settled 
there. 

The home of Marcella Nichols was 
within the wall, and there Don Carlos 
found his daughter and her little family. 
Her husband, Captain Nichols, who 
now owned his own ship, was away on a 
trading voyage, and Marcella was glad to 
see her father. From her, Don Carlos 
learned that the Governor was about to 
start on a long trip. 

After hearing this, Don Carlos has¬ 
tened to see the Governor and made his 
plea. Padre Toribio’s faith in his friend 


166 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

was well founded, and his arguments 
must have been well received, for noth¬ 
ing was done to enforce the Act of Secu¬ 
larization for ten years or more after 
this, when Alta California belonged to 
Mexico. 

Don Carlos was pleased with the suc¬ 
cess of his talk with the Governor. He 
wrote at once to Padre Toribio and Dona 
Maria Teresa and rode to the Mission 
San Carlos Borromeo to give his let¬ 
ters to the courier going north on the 
next trip. It would probably take sev¬ 
eral weeks for his letters to reach their 
destination, for the mail service was slow 
and uncertain. Twice every week two 
Spanish soldiers were dispatched from 
each Mission, in either direction, each 
going as far north or south as the next 
Mission. Schedules were planned and 
an attempt made to keep them, but a 
courier taking letters never knew 


To Monterey for the Winter 167 

whether he was going to be a week be¬ 
hind or ahead of the messenger who 
would relay the mail. Except for mat¬ 
ters of urgent business, letters were sel¬ 
dom written. One’s friends and rela¬ 
tives came visiting often enough to 
spread what news there was of interest in 
the province. 

Marcella and Don Carlos were eager 
to have Dona Maria Teresa spend the 
winter in Monterey but how to persuade 
her to come, and bring Prudencia, Ger- 
trudis, Tomas and the twins was another 
matter. 

About the time they had decided to 
write to her, Captain Nichols’ schooner 
arrived in Monterey Bay with a full 
cargo. There was great rejoicing in the 
household, for the Shark was to lie in 
Monterey Bay a week or more before 
going up and down the coast to trade. 

It was Captain Nichols who thought 


168 Benito and L,oreta Delfin 

of a scheme for getting the Flores family 
to Monterey for the winter. 

“Why couldn’t we bring them all 
down here, aboard ship?” he said one eve¬ 
ning, as they were talking over plans. 
“Don Carlos and I will ride up the coast 
ahead of the Shark and give them warn¬ 
ing of our plan, and when the schooner 
has finished trading at San Francisco, we 
can put them all aboard.” 

“A splendid idea, Juan,” said Mar¬ 
cella. “I will write Mother a letter and 
tell her that I have need of her this win¬ 
ter. What a happy time we shall all have 
together! Benito and Loreta Delfin 
can go to school, Tomas and Gertrudis 
can have a much gayer time here than on 
the rancho. Prudencia will find plenty 
to do here, as well as at home.” 

They all agreed that it was an excellent 
plan, and not long afterward Don Car¬ 
los and his son-in-law started north. 


To Monterey for the Winter 169 

They made a slow trip, for the first rains 
overtook them, and mud on the Camino 
Real was deep and sticky. For three 
days they were held up by the storm at 
the Mission of San Juan Bautista. Jolly 
Padre Arroyo was good company, and, 
as he and Don Carlos had both been 
born in Seville, they found much to talk 
about while kept indoors by the rain. 
As soon as the roads were passable, the 
travelers started out again, stopping next 
at the Pueblo of San Jose. 

Here they found friendly people, 
happy and healthy, living in a beautiful 
spot. Their stone houses were very sim¬ 
ple and clean, surrounded by vineyards 
and gardens. As Don Carlos and Juan 
entered the town, people came out of 
their houses to invite them in, with true 
Spanish courtesy and hospitality. 

Don Carlos and Juan wished to stop 
only long enough to change horses and 


170 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

refresh themselves at Pio Pico’s dram¬ 
shop. Here for two bits one could get a 
drink of aguardiente served in an ox- 
horn. Juan was much amused to find 
that the horn had a false wooden bottom. 
The good-natured host explained that the 
horns held less than a tumbler, but were 
very popular as they appeared to hold 
more. 

When they left San Jose there was only 
a day’s journey ahead of them, before 
they came to the rancho and the Casa del 
Arroyo. 

Benito was the first to see his father 
and Juan as they came riding up the hill 
to the house. He shouted with a great 
burst of joy: 

“Here come Father and Juan Ni¬ 
chols!” 

All the household came out to greet 
them. 

“Welcome home! Welcome home!” 


To Monterey for the Winter 171 

As soon as they had dismounted, the 
travelers kissed and hugged Dona Maria 
Teresa, and then all the others. 

After they caught their breath, Don 
Carlos asked his wife, “Did my letter 
reach you?” 

“No, my dear, you know how unre¬ 
liable the mail couriers always are. 
How long ago did you write?” 

When Don Carlos heard this he said, 
“Then I had better go over to tell Padre 
Toribio not to worry about losing his 
Mission.” 

“You were successful with the Gov¬ 
ernor then? How splendid! My dreams 
have been haunted by the fear of the In¬ 
dians gone back to savages, without the 
Missions and the padres,” said Dona 
Maria Teresa. 

“No need to worry at present, the Gov¬ 
ernor will do nothing to enforce the act 
until he is compelled to.” 


172 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Juan was like a brother to the chil¬ 
dren. Benito and Loreta Delfin could 
hardly wait to talk to him. When the 
others were enjoying their siesta, the 
three sat in the sala, chatting along as 
merrily as though they had all been the 
same age. 

“Where is the ship?” “Where have 
you been?” “What did you see?” 
“Tell us about it?” Loreta Delfin asked 
her questions so fast that there was no 
time for Juan to give an answer to one 
of them before there was another. 

“Just one at a time, please,” Juan 
begged. “The Shark is on the way from 
Monterey, and will be coming here very 
soon.” 

“Can we go aboard her?” Benito 
asked. 

“Oh, yes,” said Juan, bursting to tell 
them the plan. 


To Monterey for the Winter 173 

“Why didn’t you come with the 
Shark?” asked Benito. 

“Now Juan is going to answer my 
questions first,” Loreta Delfin told her 
brother. 

“Which was next, ’Reta?” 

“Where have you been on this voy¬ 
age?” 

“ ’Way around the Horn to the United 
States, this trip. We took a big load of 
tallow and hides and brought back a 
cargo of groceries, furniture, dry-goods, 
hardware, and enough finery for every 
senorita and her mother in Alta Cali¬ 
fornia ! We had a fine voyage and made 
good time, only eight months from Mon¬ 
terey to Monterey.” 

“I’ve been on a trip, too,” said Benito, 
“Father took Tomas and me to Ross.” 

“Did he? That’s fine. Tell me about 
it!” 


174 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

“I’m not going to stay,” said Loreta 
Delfin, rising. “I’ve heard about noth¬ 
ing but that trip ever since they came 
back. It’s all right to talk about trips 
when you’ve been on them, but I do get 
tired of hearing about it all the time.” 

“Little sister, you will be going on a 
trip soon, so don’t worry about not going 
to Ross.” 

“Shall I, Juan? Where? Where?” 
Loreta Delfin was jumping up and 
down with joy. 

“Am I going, too?” Benito asked a lit¬ 
tle doubtfully. 

“Oh, we are all going! There, I’ve 
let the secret out! Can you keep it to 
yourselves if I tell you?” Juan asked. 

“Oh, yes, yes!” they both said. 

“If your mother is willing, we are all 
going to Monterey for the winter and we 
are going to make the trip on the Shark.” 


To Monterey for the Winter 175 

“Hurrah! Hurrah!” cried Benito 

# 

and Loreta Delfin. 

“Quietly now, quietly, or all the house-, 
hold will know,” warned Juan. “We 
mustn’t let the secret out until your 
mother gives her consent.” 

“She will go, I am sure,” said Loreta 
Delfin, “for she has been talking about 
wanting to see Marcella.” 

“I must go now,” said Juan, “I see 
Felipe with the horses. Your father and 
I are going to the Mission. Now mind; 
not a word of the plan.” 

That evening Domingo and Salvador 
came over from the Presidio. Supper 
was very good. “Just like a party,” the 
twins said. Afterwards several neigh¬ 
boring families gathered for a valectio 
casero, or informal party, to celebrate 
the return of Don Carlos and Captain 
Nichols. 


176 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

The music of guitar and violin filled 
the sala, which was lit with many elk- 
tallow candles. Moonlight flooded the 
patio and there the children gathered to 
play gallina ciega, or blindman’s buff., 
Indoors their elders danced and sang to 
the stately contradanza and jota, and the 
young men and women showed their 
skill and grace in the zorrita. When the 
bamba was danced, the boys and girls 
stopped their play and climbed upon the 
broad window-ledges to watch. 

While the others were dancing and 
singing, Don Carlos broke the news of 
the trip to Monterey to his wife, and 
gained her consent to go. 

Gertrudis and Tomas, who heard the 
news before going to bed, could hardly 
wait till after prayers next morning to 
tell Loreta Delfin and Benito about the 
thrilling trip. 

“You needn’t think you are telling us 


To Monterey for the Winter 177 

anything,” said Benito, who was a little 
sleepy and cross after sitting up so late. 
“We have known about that for some 
time.” 

“Oh, have you? Who told you? 
None of us knew it until last night after 
the party. You must have been listen¬ 
ing to us when you were supposed to 
have been asleep,” said Gertrudis. 

“Never you mind who told us,” added 
Benito, “and I wasn’t listening last night, 
either!” 

For several days Tomas and Gertrudis 
were kept guessing about how the twins 
found out about the trip. Juan Nichols 
wouldn’t tell that he had given away the 
secret, and Benito and Loreta Delfin had 
great fun teasing the others. 

“Well, what does it matter, even if you 
dreamed it?” said Gertrudis to Loreta 
Delfin. “We are all going, and what a 
trip we shall have! Just think, Monterey 


178 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

for Christmas! The balls are wonderful, 
and they say the officers at the Presidio 
are handsomer than any in Alta Cali¬ 
fornia. You and Benito will probably 
have to go to school,” she added, just to 
get even for the teasing. 

“That will be fun, too,” said Loreta 
Delfin, who hadn’t the slightest idea of 
what school would be like. 

Benito was doubtful about the need of 
learning to read and write, but the trip 
down was absorbing all of his attention. 
He pestered Juan with questions every 
time he came within hearing distance. 
He wanted to be a sailor, and would Juan 
please promise to let him learn how to 
do everything, so he could go on the next 
long voyage with him. Juan good- 
naturedly said “No” and “Yes” and “I 
will see,” and “If your father will let 
you” to the torrent of questions, and 
Benito was overjoyed. 


To Monterey for the Winter 179 

Dona Maria Teresa and Prudencia 
were as busy as could be, making ready 
for the trip. Extra girls came from the 
Mission. Clothes were made ready, 
household tasks done in preparation for 
the long absence. 

Don Carlos and Tomas rode the 
ranges early and late with the Indian 
major-domos, leaving orders for this and 
that. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin were so ex¬ 
cited about the trip that they could 
scarcely sleep or eat, and were in the way 
of the busy household most of the time. 

One day Domingo rode over from the 
Presidio to say that the Shark had cast 
anchor in the bay. Juan said that he 
would like to stay about a week to let the 
ladies at the Presidio and Mission settle¬ 
ments come aboard to get whatever they 
might be in need of for themselves, their 
families, and their homes. 


180 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

After the ship came in, Juan was gone 
all day and sometimes at night, too, so 
Benito had to content himself without an¬ 
swers to the questions which kept com¬ 
ing into his mind from morning until 
night. One evening Juan came back 
for supper and said that he would like to 
sail as soon as Doha Maria Teresa could 
get her things aboard. 

“But I’m not ready yet,” she protested. 

“You might as well go now, Maria,” 
said Don Carlos, “for you never will be 
entirely ready, and Juan wants to get you 
all down to Monterey so he can go on to 
San Diego with the schooner.” In spite 
of Doha Maria Teresa’s protests, it was 
arranged to go at once. 

Next day every squeaking carreta at 
the rancho was loaded with chests and 
bundles and boxes. Don Carlos stormed 
and fussed about taking so much, but his 
wife insisted that not an unnecessary 


To Monterey for the Winter 181 

thing had been packed and said, “Clothes 
for six, with bedding and supplies, are not 
packed in a nutshell, and Marcella can’t 
be expected to supply us all,” and that 
ended the talk, and off the carretas 
started, followed by the family on horse¬ 
back. 

At the Presidio a farewell party had 
been planned by Salvador and Domingo, 
as a surprise for the Flores family. Just 
how they were to get their mother to come 
to the Comandante’s house w'ithout tell¬ 
ing her about the party could not be 
agreed upon. Domingo wanted to say 
that Salvador was ill, but they de¬ 
cided that would frighten her. Salvador 
thought they had better ask Juan to help 
them out. 

So it was arranged that Juan was to 
say that the loading of the schooner 
would not be finished in time to get away 
until midnight, and that Dona Maria 


182 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

Teresa had better go to the Presidio to 
wait. 

The Flores family stopped at the Mis¬ 
sion to say “Good-bye” to the padres and 
receive their blessing for the trip. Do¬ 
mingo met them there with Juan’s mes¬ 
sage and, all unsuspecting, Doha Maria 
Teresa agreed to go with Domingo to the 
Presidio, and with her went Prudencia, 
Gertrudis, and Tomas. Benito and 
Loreta Delfin begged to be allowed to go 
with Don Carlos to the boat-landing to 
watch their things taken out to the 
schooner. 

When they reached the shore, Juan 
was waiting for them. One load had al¬ 
ready been taken aboard the Shark, and 
the boat was being reloaded for another 
trip. 

“Can’t we row out to the ship with the 
luggage, Juan?” asked Benito. 


To Monterey for the Winter 183 

“Yes, if your father says so.” 

As the bay was as still as a pond, Don 
Carlos consented. Loreta Delfin and 
Benito climbed into the little boat on top 
of the boxes and chests and chatted gayly 
with the sailors as they rowed away from 
shore. Coming back with an empty 
boat, Benito was allowed to take an oar 
and proudly rowed back to the landing, 
while his sister watched him critically. 

“You splash too much,” said Loreta 
Delfin, to whom rowing looked easy 
enough, for she had never tried it. 

“You would splash worse than I do, at 
first,” said Benito knowingly. “It is not 
so easy as it looks. I tried rowing when 
we went to Ross, and at first all I could 
do was get wet and slow up the boat. It 
takes lots of practice.” 

The twins made several trips, and 
Loreta Delfin begged to take an oar on 


184 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

the last trip back to shore. She surpised 
Benito and the sailors by catching the 
rhythm of the stroke quickly and pulling 
hard and steadily. 

“Don’t work so hard, Senorita, you 
will be all tired out,” cautioned a sailor. 

Loreta Delfin never liked to have Be¬ 
nito do things she could not do, so she 
stayed at it long after her hands were 
sore and her arms and back ached. 

When all the luggage was stowed away 
aboard ship, Juan and Don Carlos took 
the twins back to the Presidio. There 
they found a gay party in progress, with 
singing and dancing in the Coman- 
dante’s house and in the open, too. The 
night was fair and not in the least cold, 
and a full moon was rising. Benito and 
Loreta Delfin were tired and sleepy after 
the busy afternoon on the water. They 
watched the dancing for a while, but be¬ 
fore refreshments were served, they went 


To Monterey for the Winter 185 

off and curled up to sleep in the doorway 
of the chapel. 

Juan was anxious to have the family 
aboard the Shark in time to sail with the 
midnight tide, so the dancing stopped 
early and supper was served to the guests. 
After supper quite a procession left the 
Presidio in the moonlight and went sing¬ 
ing down to the beach to say good-bye. 

As the Flores family were climbing 
into the boats amid shouts of merriment 
and advice from their friends, the twins 
were missed. 

“Where are Benito and Loreta Del- 
fin?” some one asked. 

“Benito! Loreta!” they called, but no 
answer. 

“Did they come with you? Have you 
seen them on the shore? Were they at 
the dance?” were the questions each 
asked the other, but the answers failed 
to locate the twins. 


186 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Don Carlos and Juan said that they 
had brought them back to the Presidio 
after seeing that the luggage was all 
aboard the Shark. Some one had seen 
them standing in the doorway of the 
Comandante’s house watching the danc¬ 
ing, but where they were now was a 
mystery. 

Juan asked a sailor if they were aboard 
ship by any chance, but they had not been 
seen along the water front since after¬ 
noon. 

“Then they must be at the Presidio,” 
said Don Carlos, and he and Domingo 
went back to look for them. 

Dona Maria Teresa refused to go 
aboard the schooner until the twins were 
found. 

“There is nothing to worry about, 
Mother,” said Prudencia. “They are 
probably asleep somewhere and didn’t 
hear us go.” 


To Monterey for the Winter 187 

After what seemed a very long time to 
the waiting people, Don Carlos and 
Domingo came back with two of the 
sleepiest children imaginable. 

“Where did you find them?” their 
mother asked. 

“Asleep in the chapel doorway. We 
had searched every nook indoors and 
were beginning outside, when one of 
the soldiers happened to see them,” 
Domingo said. 

There was no time for talking or scold¬ 
ing, and Juan hurried the family into the 
boats. Dona Maria Teresa sat with 
Benito on one side of her and Loreta 
Delfin on the other to be sure they didn’t 
escape again. They were really far too 
sleepy to want to do anything but put 
their heads down on her shoulder. 

As the dipping oars carried the boats 
out from shore into the very path of the 
moon, the soft, sweet voices of friends, 


188 Benito and Loreta Delfin 



SAILING TOWARD MONTEREY 


calling good-byes and good wishes, be¬ 
came part of a dream for Benito and 
Loreta Delfin. They were so sound 
asleep when the boat reached the Shark 
that no one had the heart to awaken them. 
Strong arms got them aboard without dis- 

































To Monterey for the Winter 189 

turbing them, and Prudencia and Dona 
Maria Teresa tucked them away in their 
bunks. 

When they awakened next morning, it 
was with some surprise that they found 
themselves out on the ocean sailing 
toward Monterey. 


CHAPTER IX 


SCHOOL 


‘¥ 


ORETA DELFIN, where are 
you?” called Benito. “Let’s 
go out; it has stopped raining 
again.” And out of the house the two 
darted. 

For a week after they had landed at 
Monterey, it had rained. Between show¬ 
ers and sometimes in them, Benito and 
Loreta Delfin had explored the town. 
After living on the rancho all their eleven 
years, it seemed strange to them to have 
houses so close together. There were no 
streets, but on the winding paths between 
the houses one often met people coming 
or going about their business. 

The ladies of the best families were 



School 191 

seen abroad only in the morning, in the 
simple black dresses worn for church, 
going to or from Mass. They were at¬ 
tended by Indian servants, who carried 
rugs and cushions to use on the bare 
church floor. 

The plaza was the place to see the life 
of the town and Presidio. All day peo¬ 
ple came and went. There the soldiers 
drilled, and in the evening, when it was 
fine, gay young people danced and sang 
in the open square. 

Public fandangoes and cock-fights 
were almost continuous and gave enter¬ 
tainment to the sailors and hunters who 
came to Monterey. Nearly every eve¬ 
ning informal parties were given in the 
best homes for the members of leading 
families. 

Doha Maria Teresa was busy getting 
her luggage unpacked and her family 
settled, and the twins were allowed to go 


192 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

where they pleased. This morning be¬ 
tween showers they went to the seashore. 
There was much of interest for them to 
see. The storm had washed long gar¬ 
lands of kelp up on the beach. Black 
surf-scoters swam and dipped for food 
and made short flights close to the sur¬ 
face of the ocean, alighting on the water 
with wings held high above their backs 
for an instant. Stocky gray or whitish 
fulmas floated in the bay, picking up, 
with their stout deeply-hooked bills, gar¬ 
bage thrown from a ship at anchor. 
A flock of gray and white sanderlings, in 
winter plumage, ran back and forth on 
the sand, following out the receding 
waves and hurriedly picking up their 
food. When a wave rolled in, they 
turned and ran up the beach with twin¬ 
kling feet, keeping just ahead of the 
water, like a fringe of foam. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin were so in- 


School 193 

terested in watching the little birds that 
they did not notice the people who were 
gathering on the beach. A brig, with 
white sails bellowed out in the fresh 
breeze, was coming into the bay. A 
group of schoolboys, shouting and 
happy, came up to the Flores twins. 

“Do you live here?” one of them asked 
Benito. 

“No, we live on a rancho near the Mis¬ 
sion San Francisco de Asis,” Benito re¬ 
plied. 

“We came here for the winter,” 
Loreta Delfin added. “We are living 
with our aunt, Senora Juan Nichols.” 

“Well, I guess you will have to go to 
school,” the strange boy said. “Any boy 
who lives in Monterey has to go, or his 
parents are fined.” 

“Yes, I am going soon,” Benito said. 

“Can you read and write?” Benito was 
asked. 


194 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“No, I’ve never been to school.” 

“I’m sorry for you,” another boy re¬ 
plied. He was very friendly, and the 
twins liked him. 

“I am going, too,” said Loreta Delfin. 

“You will have to go to the girls’ 
school,” she was told. “Only boys can 
go to our school.” 

“What do you do there?” Benito 
asked. 

“Wait and see!” one boy shouted, and 
ran off with some others. 

“Don’t you have to go to school to¬ 
day?” Loreta Delfin asked. 

“Oh, yes, but when a ship comes in we 
are allowed to come to the shore to see it. 
I wish one came every day!” the boy said 
feelingly. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin waited with 
the others to see the brig drop anchor and 
a boat, with the captain and some of the 


School 


195 

crew, come to shore. Then they wan¬ 
dered back to the town. 

“Those boys did not seem to like 
school,” Loreta Delfin said to her 
brother. 

“I hope I won’t have to go,” replied 
Benito. 

“I’m sure we both will. That is one of 
the reasons Mother came to Monterey, so 
that we could go to school,” Loreta 
Delfin told her brother. 

Not long after this, at breakfast, Don 
Carlos announced that he wished Benito 
and Loreta Delfin to go to school. The 
twins were far too respectful and well- 
trained to question their father’s plans, 
but they were quite sure, by now, that 
they did not want to go. 

“There are two schools for boys and 
only one for girls,” Don Carlos went on 
to say. “I inquired as to which one was 


196 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

best for Benito, and to-morrow morning 
he will start in. I shall take him, myself, 
and introduce him to the maestro.” 

It was decided that Loreta Delfin 
would not go to school just yet. 

“I’ll teach you what we learn,” Benito 
told her, for she was really very much dis¬ 
appointed not to be going to school, too, 
as long as Benito had to go. 

Next morning Benito and his father 
started off after breakfast for school. 
The building did not look very attractive 
outside, and Benito felt more than ever 
that he would not like it. School had al¬ 
ready started, and before they came to 
the door, the voices of the boys studying 
aloud could be heard. 

Don Carlos opened the door into a 
long, narrow, badly-lighted room. After 
their eyes became accustomed to the dim 
light, they saw the schoolmaster. He 
was seated at one end of the room on a 


School 197 

rude platform behind a table covered 
with a dark dirty cover. As Don Car¬ 



los and Benito went toward the master, 
every boy stopped his reading to watch 
them, and not a sound could be heard. 





































































198 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Good-morning, sir,” said Don Carlos 
to the sour-faced man, past middle life, 
who did not even rise from his chair. 
He was dressed in a greasy, dirty uni¬ 
form which marked him as a former 
soldier. 

“I am Don Carlos Alejandro Flores, 
and this is my son Benito. As we shall 
be living here this winter, I wish to have 
my son receive the advantages of educa¬ 
tion at your school.” 

“Be seated, sir,” said the schoolmaster. 
“Your son is welcome and I will assign 
his work at once.” 

“No, I will not stay,” said Don Carlos, 
“for I see my presence has interrupted 
the studying.” 

“To your lessons,” the master shouted, 
and every boy began his reading at the 
top of his voice, and the sound was deaf¬ 
ening. 

“Do you read?” he said to Benito. 


School 199 

“No, sir,” Benito replied. 

“Ramon, come here,” the teacher 
roared. And one of the older boys came 
forward and bowed to the master. 
“Take Benito to his seat and start him on 
the primer.” 

As Ramon took the book from the 
master’s hand, Benito looked at him and 
recognized one of the boys who had 
spoken to him on the beach. A flash of 
acknowledgment passed between their 
eyes, but neither boy dared to smile or 
speak. 

When Don Carlos had seen Benito led 
to one of the rough benches along the 
dingy wall, he bid good-day to the 
schoolmaster and left the room. 

Poor Benito was as unhappy as he 
could be. For a boy who had spent his 
life in the sun and air, as free as a colt 
on his father’s rancho, it was like being 
thrown into a dungeon to come into this 


200 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

poorly-lighted, close room. To Benito, 
the printed page meant nothing, as he 
had scarcely ever seen a book. The loud 
voices of the boys confused him. The 
letters were spread meaninglessly about 
the page. He repeated words from the 
primer, after his young teacher, neither 
knowing nor caring what they were 
about. All he could think of was get¬ 
ting away from school. 

When reading time was over, coarse 
writing-paper was given out. Then a 
card with heavy black lines was passed 
around. Each boy, in turn, placed this 
under his paper and traced the lines. 
Then the boys took their papers to the 
maestro, who set a copy, according to the 
grade he had reached. For Benito the 
old soldier made a row of coarse marks 
and pot-hooks, to be copied on the lines 
below. Benito noticed that Ramon was 


School 201 

copying sentences from the catechism in 
small, fine, round letters. 

As each boy finished his copy, he took 
it to the teacher’s desk. Every mistake 
or blot was punished by a sharp rap on 
the knuckles with the ferule. Benito was 
disgusted and not a little frightened, for 
his own sheet was far from perfect. He 
was so slow about his work, however, that 
it was time to go home before he had fin¬ 
ished and a great feeling of relief came 
over him. 

He filed out of the school in silence 
along with the other boys. They had all 
learned to repress their joy at gaining 
their freedom, until well out of the 
maestro’s hearing. They knew that a 
beating waited for any boy who was so 
foolish as to laugh or shout near enough 
to the schoolhouse for the teacher to hear 
him. 


202 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

At home, Loreta Delfin tried hard to 
get Benito to tell about his school. All 
that he would say was, “I am glad you do 
not have to go.” 

“But I will, soon,” Loreta Delfin re¬ 
plied. “Mother was asking to-day about 
a class in some one’s home, where girls 
learned to read and write. She said she 
could teach me to cook and embroider 
and how to care for children. I love to 
take care of Marcella’s children,” she 
added. “They are such gay little fel¬ 
lows. You never know what they will 
do or say next.” 

For several days things went on at 
school as they had the first day. Benito 
would say nothing about it to any one at 
home, if he could help it. When they 
were alone, Loreta Delfin begged to be 
told what he did all day and he related 
the dreary routine. 

“Every boy goes up to the platform 


School 203 

when he first comes in, kneels before the 
great green cross that hangs on the wall 
beside the platform, and says the Bendito 
aloud. Then we all kiss the maestro’s 
hand and say ‘ Buenos dias’ to him. The 
dirty thing!” he added half under his 
breath. “I hate to touch him! 

“After that he tells us to go to our 
places. We all throw our hats on a 
bench in the corner, and when lessons 
are given out, we start to shout as loud 
as we can. I guess it is so that no one can 
hear the others.” 

“Poor Benito,” Loreta Delfin said. 
“I do wish you didn’t have to go to such a 
dreadful place. I go to a nice house 
with five other girls, and we sit in the sala 
or the logia and read in turn from a story¬ 
book, and sometimes write letters to each 
other.” 

“I hate school, and I don’t learn any¬ 
thing but how to make scratches like a 


204 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

hen and to say the catechism,” Benito 
said. 

His mother noticed that he took longer 
and longer to eat his breakfast, and one 
day he even said he didn’t feel well when 
it was time to go to school. 

“I don’t think Benito is happy at 
school, Carlos,” Dona Maria Teresa 
said to her husband, one morning after 
Benito had gone very reluctantly. 

“Probably not, just at first,” his father 
replied. “He has been too free, and is 
not used to work and confinement. Life 
is not all play, my dear, and doing a lit¬ 
tle of what he does not like will not hurt 
him.” 

That day Benito came home with sore 
and bloody knuckles. His mother no¬ 
ticed them at dinner, but Benito would 
say nothing about them. 

“Have you been fighting, son?” his 
mother asked him. 


School 205 

“No, Mother,” he replied. 

“How did your hands get hurt, then?” 

“The schoolmaster did it with his 
ferule.” 

Later Doha Maria Teresa told her 
husband that she thought such punish¬ 
ment rather severe, but Don Carlos re¬ 
plied, “No doubt the rascals need some 
discipline. A few raps won’t hurt them, 
and boys can’t be coddled. A teacher’s 
life is no easy one, and boys can be a great 
annoyance.” 

This did not satisfy Benito’s mother, 
especially after she overheard Benito tell 
Loreta Delfin that he had received the 
punishment because there was a spot of 
ink on his writing copy. And then he 
told her how every boy hated the school 
and the teacher. 

Things went on for several days more, 
and one day Benito came home from 
school with flushed cheeks and blazing 


206 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

eyes and fairly shouted at his mother. 

“I’m through! I’ll never go back 
again! Nobody can make me!” 

He was so excited that his mother 
could scarcely get him to tell her what 
was the matter. 

“I had to see a boy beaten,” he half 
sobbed. “A little boy, who had giggled 
at a big boy making faces behind the 
teacher’s back. It wasn’t fair! He had 
done no wrong. The maestro is a brute! 
They took off his shirt, and two boys had 
to hold him down on a bench—” his 
words came fast and hot—“and the 
maestro beat him with the disciplina, a 
kind of cat-o’-nine-tails, made of hempen 
twine, with iron points. He bled! He 
beat the boy till he no longer cried out.” 

This shocking tale was told to Don 
Carlos, who was really a kind and just 
man and had never been known to strike 
a servant or even an animal. 




School 207 

“I will look into the matter,” he said 
solemnly. “Benito need not go to school 
to-morrow.” 

And, it being Saturday, Benito felt 
doubly blest, for that was the day of re¬ 
view and examination. Beatings and 
knuckle-rappings were frequent that 
day, should the pupils fail to recite from 
Father Ripalda’s catechism correctly. 

What Don Carlos found out about the 
school was enough to make him decide to 
keep Benito at home the rest of the win¬ 
ter. 

“I would like him to have an educa¬ 
tion,” he told Dona Maria Teresa, “but if 
it cannot be had without beatings, I fear 
he will have to grow up unable to read 
or write. No child of mine shall be in¬ 
sulted and treated like a slave or an ani¬ 
mal. They may fine me or punish me, if 
they like, but until schools are better, 
Benito shall not go.” 


208 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

The good news overjoyed both Benito 
and his mother. Loreta Delfin prom¬ 
ised to show her brother, every day, what 
was taught her in the reading and writ¬ 
ing classes, which she really enjoyed with 
the group of friendly girls. 

Benito was free again to wander about 
the woods and shore, quite content at 
being unlearned in the ways of books and 
schools. On the days when a ship came 
into the bay, he saw the schoolboys on 
the beach. They envied him his free¬ 
dom, but it did not make him popular 
with them. He really liked Ramon and 
wished they might roam together along 
the beach and through the woods. Then 
each could tell the other all he knew 
about the ways of birds and animals, of 
the sea and the rancho, unafraid of a 
maestro’s ferule or disciplina. 


CHAPTER X 


CHRISTMAS EVE 

M ARCELLA and Loreta Del- 
fin were sitting on the up¬ 
stairs galeria, one fine day in 
early December. The rains had made a 
faint tinge of green show on the hills. 
The sun was getting warm and before 
long flowers would again bloom in the 
fields. 

“How long before Christmas, Mar¬ 
cella?” Loreta Delfin asked. 

“Oh, it is nearly here. Only three 
more weeks. What fun we will have to¬ 
gether this year!” 

“Benito told me that he heard Senor 
Rodriguez rehearsing his part in the Pas- 



210 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

torela, down on the sea-shore, not long 
ago,” Loreta Delfin said to her sister. 

“Would you like to go out to the Mis¬ 
sion on Christmas Eve and see the In¬ 
dians act their Christmas play?” asked 
Marcella. 

“Oh, yes,” answered Loreta Delfin. 
“What fun! I think Tomas and Ger- 
trudis must be going to be in a Christmas 
play, too. I saw Prudencia making cos¬ 
tumes for them the other day. She put 
them away when she saw me coming.” 

“I think that was meant to be a sur¬ 
prise. Can you keep the secret?” Mar¬ 
cella asked her sister. 

“Oh, yes, I can, Marcella,” said 
Loreta Delfin. 

“A group of young people give the 
play of the Shepherds, every year, going 
around from house to house during the 
holidays. They think it more fun when 
people do not know who is taking the 


211 


Christmas Eve 

parts. Of course, we recognize our 
friends, but we pretend we do not know 
them at the time. 11 makes the play seem 
more real,” Marcella told her. 

“We should start saving our egg¬ 
shells, too,” Marcella said. “Prudencia 
told me Lent began very early this year.” 

“What are egg-shells for?” Loreta 
Delfin asked. “What have they to do 
with Lent?” 

“Don’t you know about our Carnes- 
tolandas festival?” Marcella asked. “It 
comes three days before Ash Wednesday, 
and the whole town turns out to play. If 
you happen to be the favored one at any 
gathering or in the streets, even, you may 
find yourself hit with an egg-shell filled 
with bits of colored paper, cologne water, 
or oropel, which is gold leaf, finely cut. 
It is lots of fun trying to break an egg¬ 
shell on some one before he can do the 
same to you. Sometimes the air is sweet 


212 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

with cologne and filled with flying bits 
of paper and tinsel. The girls go around 
with bits of tinsel in their hair for days 
after a Cascarone ball.” 

“On the rancho we never throw egg¬ 
shells but we always have lots of fun De¬ 
cember 28th, at the Fiesta del dia de In- 
nocentes,” Loreta Delfin said. 

“I remember. Do you still have bu- 
nuelos for breakfast and have a good 
laugh at the one who gets the cake stuffed 
with cotton?” asked Marcella. 

“Yes, and last year Benito got it. He 
was so sure, too, that he could tell which 
one had the cotton, that when he bit into 
it he was more surprised than any one 
else. We just laughed and laughed at 
him.” 

“The first year I was in Monterey,” 
Marcella said, “some one started the 
word around that a ship had gone ashore 
on the rocks. We all started for the 


Christmas Eve 213 

Point. When nearly the whole town 
was there and could see no ship, some one 
remembered it was the Fiesta del dia de 
Innocentes. No one ever could find out 
who started the story, which certainly 
fooled us all.” 

“I shall have/to think up some good 
jokes this year,” Loreta Delfin said. “It 
is harder to fool Benito than any one 
else.” 

The weeks before Christmas went by 
quickly. Loreta Delfin was busy with 
little gifts for all the family and the In¬ 
dian servants, too. As Christmas Eve 
drew near, the Indian girls were busy 
all day grinding meal for the tortilla- 
makers. Benito and Loreta Delfin were 
allowed to grind chocolate and shell 
pine-nuts for roasting. Tomas and Ger- 
trudis were home only long enough for 
meals. There was much whispering 
and hiding things away when footsteps 


214 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

were heard coming toward the room 
where Christmas preparations were 
afoot. 

Christmas Eve finally came. In the 
morning, Benito and Loreta Delfin went 
to gather shells in which to stand the 
candles that were to be lighted in every 
window. Don Carlos came home with 
his arms full of fireworks for the eve¬ 
ning. Indian servants brought pine 
boughs from the hills, and Marcella di¬ 
rected the placing of them over windows 
and doors. They twined greens on the 
railings of the outside staircase to the 
galeria. 

Doha Maria Teresa was supervising 
the cooking of the food. The tortilla- 
makers had been working since dawn. 
It did not seem as though all could be 
finished in time. But twilight found 
everything in readiness. Loreta Delfin 
and Benito, dressed in their best, stood 


Christmas Eve 215 

waiting, with tapers in hand, for the bell 
to ring that would be the signal for light¬ 
ing the candles. 

There it was! First, the deep voice of 
the bell in the chapel, and then others 
chiming in. Lights began to twinkle in 
the windows of every house in Monterey. 
Soon bonfires flared up in the plaza, on 
the hillside and the shore. More bells 
chimed, and glad shouts and songs wel¬ 
comed in “la noche buena.” 

Guests began to arrive, and soon the 
house and the lantern-lit patio were full 
of people exchanging greetings. Supper 
was spread on long tables and the guests 
seated themselves as they pleased. In¬ 
dian servants moved about offering tor¬ 
tillas from large trays, while others 
passed the meats and stews or served cof¬ 
fee, chocolate or punch from pottery 
pitchers. 

The children, as usual, had to wait 


216 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

until all the older people were served 
before they could eat. But it was Christ¬ 
mas Eve and there was a bountiful sup¬ 
ply, so that the children and even the In¬ 
dian servants had their share of roast 
meat, carne seca and frijoles, pasties, 
dulces and conservas. 

When supper was over Don Carlos 
and Juan Nichols set off the fireworks in 
the patio. The children shouted with de¬ 
light as every sky-rocket shot up into the 
deep blue sky and dropped its shower of 
sparks. 

After the fireworks, Don Carlos called 
the servants into the patio. Two Indian 
men brought forward a big table laden 
with gifts marked with the names of those 
for whom they were meant. As Don 
Carlos called off the names, each person 
came to the table for his gift. No one 
was neglected. Every member of the 
family, every guest, and all the Indian 


Christmas Eve 217 

servants, with their families, received 
something to give them pleasure. 

There were gorgeous embroidered 
shawls, lace mantillas, tall combs, or 
carved and jeweled rosaries for the ladies. 
Handsome spurs, silver-mounted bridles 
of the finest workmanship, bright sashes, 
a hat of the silkiest vicuna, or a poncho of 
the richest broadcloth fringed in gold de¬ 
lighted the men. The gay young seno- 
ritas received strings of pearls, gay fans, 
gold hair-ornaments, bright rebozos and 
sashes, carved necklaces and earrings. 
The boys were pleased with finely 
braided reatas, bright sashes, velvet jack¬ 
ets, or big hats. The girls, like their 
mothers and older sisters, were made 
happy with finery. The little children 
had beads to string, dolls, and animals 
made of wood, gayly painted and deco¬ 
rated with fur and hair, toy carts and 
boats. 


218 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

Benito was overjoyed to receive a beau¬ 
tiful saddle of tooled leather with silver 
mountings, and a bridle of fine horse¬ 
hair. Also a full suit of green velvet, 
trimmed with gilt and spangles, a red 



LORETA DELFIN HAD A BEAUTIFUL 


COSTUME 

sash and flat-crowned hat gay enough for 
any fiesta. 

Loreta Delfin had a beautiful costume 
of embroidered muslin with a little velvet 
jacket, a light-blue sash and blue silk 












Christmas Eve 219 

slippers to match, besides a carved coral 
necklace and bracelets. She was de¬ 
lighted and felt that she had really 
grown up. 

After the presents had been distributed, 
dancing began to the music of guitar and 
violin. The older children joined hands 
with their elders in the opening dance, 
the jota. All sang the verses as the two 
lines of dancers faced each other, the 
partners doing the figures of the dance 
in turn. At the refrain, hands were 
joined and a chain danced until some one 
started to sing the verse again. 

The guests who wished to see the 
Christmas play at the Mission San Car¬ 
los Borromeo left after the first dance. 
The others were to follow in time for the 
midnight Mass. Don Carlos and Pru- 
dencia took Loreta Delfin and Benito as 
early as possible, so as to see as much of 
the play as they could. 


220 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

It was a gorgeous night. The stars 
shone like diamonds. Along the way to 
the Mission bonfires were burning. 
Other town folk joined them as they rode 
along, and soon there was quite a proces¬ 
sion. At the top of the hill looking 
down on the Mission, the riders stopped. 
They could see a long procession of In¬ 
dian neophytes, each with a burning 
torch, winding its way back to the 
church, which was dark and quiet. 

“We have missed the first part of the 
play, but are in time for the most interest¬ 
ing part, I think,” Prudencia told the 
twins. “At sunset,” she went on, “the 
Mission bells ring merrily and there is 
a light glowing in every window. When 
darkness comes, the lights are put out 
and the Indians gather in the quadrangle, 
where each one is given a lighted torch 
to carry. They form a procession and, 
with the statue of the Blessed Virgin, on 


221 


Christmas Eve 

an ass, and Saint Joseph afoot, carried 
in front, they start on their long march, 
singing the while. This represents the 
wanderings of Mary and Joseph. 

“Solemnly the Indians make the cir¬ 
cuit of the inner court and then out 
through the big gate and around the 
outer walls and up to the hills beyond the 
Mission. Now they are returning to the 
church. We will go closer, so as to hear 
the singing as Mary and Joseph beg for 
admittance.” 

The riders went down the hill and dis¬ 
mounting at the Mission gate made their 
way to the church door where they could 
see and hear everything. 

Again and again, in song, the pilgrims 
begged to be let in, out of the supposed 
cold and storm. But not until Mary pro¬ 
claimed herself Queen of Heaven were 
the doors flung open. Then there was a 
burst of light, and to the chanting of the 


222 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Rosary and the Litany of the Blessed 
Virgin, the neophytes, with spent torches 
still in hand, slowly made their way into 
the decorated church and up to the 
chancel. 

In front of the altar were wax figures 
of Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying 
in a manger, with the oxen lowing near 
by. Saint Francis, himself, was the first 
to make a Christmas creche and had 
taught his drab-gowned followers to do 
so. Many of the Indians were so im¬ 
pressed that they fell on their knees in 
wonder and awe. 

As the church filled, a hushed murmur 
passed around, as Indians and Spaniards 
alike mingled their joy and devotions. 
Then from one side of the chancel, a 
band of Shepherds entered. They were 
dressed in sheepskins and carried crooks, 
the Angel Michael, in armor, leading 
them. From the other side came a com- 


Christmas Eve 223 

pany of Angels, in white robes and 
golden wings. Together the Angels and 
Shepherds sang a song of praise to the 
Holy Family. 

Now entered an aged hermit, with 
flowing white beard, carrying a missal 
and a long sin-chastening lash. Sneak¬ 
ing in behind him came seven Imps, rep¬ 
resenting the seven deadly sins. They 
were led by Lucifer, and all were dressed 
in long black cloaks. Their antics and 
grimaces delighted the audience to 
laughter. 

A mimic battle followed, between the 
Angels and Imps, who tried by their 
pranks to hinder the work of redemption. 
Lucifer beguiled the aged hermit, who 
finally lost his soul. This success em¬ 
boldens the Tempter, who then tries his 
wiles on the company of the holy Shep¬ 
herds. Here, however, he encounters 
Saint Michael, who recognizes him. 


224 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

Under the gaze of that invincible angel, 
Lucifer is obliged to fly. The end brings 
complete victory to the good angels over 
the evil spirits, and the audience bursts 
into shouts of joy as the forces of right 
march triumphant down the aisle of the 
church, driving the evil ones before them 
out into the night. 

The play over, the neophytes marched 
out of the church to continue their cele¬ 
bration, singing and dancing, as they 
feasted on roast oxen in the rancheria be¬ 
hind the Mission. 

Now quiet and the peace of Christmas 
filled the church. Candles were lit on 
the altar and the fragrant incense floated 
out over the company of devout Span¬ 
iards, who had gathered there for the 
midnight Mass. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin were getting 
tired. After the long busy day and all 
the excitement of the evening, it was hard 


Christmas Eve 225 

for them to keep awake. The chanting 
and the intoning of the service lulled 
them into a doze. When the Mass was 
over, Prudencia woke them. Outside in 
the fresh night air, they were soon wide 
awake and enjoyed the ride home in the 
starlight. 

In spite of the lateness of the hour, 
Monterey was still making merry. A 
troupe of players in costume passed just 
as Benito and Loreta Delfin were dis¬ 
mounting at Marcella’s door. 

“Oh, there are Tomas and Gertrudis,” 
Benito said in a loud whisper. 

“No they aren’t,” said Loreta Delfin. 
“Those aren’t the costumes I saw Pru¬ 
dencia making for them.” 

Just then a long cloaked figure in a 
beard waved to them. 

“There’s Tomas,” said Loreta Delfin, 
“and here comes Gertrudis.” 

And one of three Angels, passing 


226 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

them, smiled and said, “Happy Christ¬ 
mas.” 

The twins wanted to tell their mother 
about the Christmas play, but Dona 
Maria Teresa was anxious to get the 
household to bed and said, “To-morrow, 
children. Tell me all to-morrow.” 

And off Benito and Loreta Delfin 
went to their beds. Before they went to 
sleep, it was agreed that “la noche buena” 
in Monterey was the nicest Christmas 
Eve they had ever known. 


CHAPTER XI 

A CHRISTENING AND A WEDDING 

O NE morning when it was warm 
and spring-like, Benito and Lo- 
reta Delfin came into the patio 
and found Gertrudis combing Tomas’ 
hair, as they sat in the sun. 

“Ouch, Gertrudis, please don’t pull it 
so,” Tomas begged. 

“How can I help it? It is so snarled,” 
Gertrudis said, as she combed out the 
long black locks, so that she might re¬ 
braid them firmly and neatly into the 
queue, which was still the fashion for 
men. 

Benito laughed at Tomas, who was 

making faces at each pull of the comb. 

227 


228 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“Just you wait, Benito, until you have 
to wear your hair long.” 

“Oh, I never will,” said Benito. 
“They will cut it off before I grow up.” 

Benito turned to his sister and asked, 
“Gertrudis, who is this caballero who 
comes around here, singing serenades all 
the time? He is a very dressed-up 
young man, not so bad-looking, but he 
certainly cannot sing,” Benito teased. 

“I don’t know whom you mean,” an¬ 
swered Gertrudis haughtily. “There 
are many young men playing and sing¬ 
ing under my window.” 

“Yes, you do know the one I mean. I 
suppose his father will be coming around 
soon, dressed in velvet, fine linen, and 
lace, with a blue broadcloth poncho 
thrown over his arm, making low bows, 
with an expensive hat sweeping the 
ground, and asking for the honor of a 
marriage.” 


A Christening and a Wedding 229 

“Benito, you chatter like a squirrel! 
Stop your nonsense,” said the blush¬ 
ing Gertrudis, crossly, as she finished 
winding Tomas’ hair with black rib¬ 
bon. 

“Come along, Benito,” said Tomas; 
“she’s in love, and I am afraid there is 
nothing we can do about it.” 

When the boys had gone, Gertrudis 
and Loreta Delfin stayed in the patio, 
and Gertrudis confided, “I wouldn’t tell 
Benito, he is such a tease, but I am in 
love, and Roberto’s father will call soon 
to ask if we may marry.” 

“How exciting, Gertrudis. A wed¬ 
ding ! Will it be soon?” 

“I hope so, but you know how long it 
takes to arrange these matters. I am 
sure Father will consent. Roberto’s 
family is honorable and rich, and we do 
love each other so much. But even after 
the families have arranged matters, it 


230 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

takes some time for the groom to have the 
wedding clothes made. He must pro¬ 
vide me with at least six sets of each kind 
of clothes I need, and Roberto says he 
will have the nuns embroider them for 
me. He says they embroider camisas as 
fine as cobwebs. I will give you all the 
best waists I have now, after I am mar¬ 
ried, Loreta, dear.” 

“Thank you, ’Trudis.” 

“Don’t you dare tell Mother or Mar¬ 
cella,” Gertrudis warned, “that I’ve been 
talking about weddings and such things. 
I am not supposed to know anything 
about it until after Roberto’s father 
makes the proposal to my father.” 

“I promise not to tell,” said Loreta 
Delfin. 

Gertrudis went on to say, “We may 
have a christening in the family before 
we have a wedding.” 

“Oh, I hope Marcella gets a girl this 


A Christening and a Wedding 231 

time. We have enough boys in the fam¬ 
ily now,” said Loreta Delfin. 

“Whatever comes, you have to take, 
and we will have a big christening party, 
whether it is a boy or a girl,” Gertrudis 
added knowingly. 

“I love parties, and we haven’t had one 
here in the house since Christmas,” said 
Loreta Delfin. 

“I’ve been to enough bailes,” said 
Gertrudis, “to last a long time. I’ve 
never known a place so gay as Monterey. 
It won’t be long before you can go to 
them, too. How old are you, Loreta 
Delfin, ten?” 

“Eleven, going on twelve, and I’m 
nearly as tall as you are now,” Loreta 
Delfin answered. 

Just then Doha Maria Teresa called to 
Loreta Delfin to come indoors to help 
her. 

“Now don’t tell any one what we were 


232 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

talking about, please,” asked Gertrudis 
again, as her sister went indoors. “It is 
my secret.” 

One afternoon not long after Gertru¬ 
dis and Loreta Delfin had been chatting 
in the patio, Don Estevan Guadalupe 
Amador called on Don Carlos. Benito 
ran to tell Gertrudis that he had come, 
and she was so excited about it that it was 
impossible for her to eat her supper that 
night. Nothing, however, was said of 
the matter, but Benito took delight in 
teasing her on the sly. Doubtless a half- 
dozen calls would be exchanged before 
the proposal was made. The usual for¬ 
malities could not be hurried. Young 
lovers had to hide their impatience and 
content themselves by exchanging flow¬ 
ers, which carried their messages of af¬ 
fection in a language of their own. 

Every day, as Gertrudis tended the 
potted geraniums which filled the wide 


A Christening and a Wedding 233 

window-sills of Marcella’s home, she 
could almost hear them saying, “I will al¬ 
ways love thee.” And, in the evening, 
when she dropped one through the grat¬ 
ing to her lover, as he strummed his gui¬ 
tar, he understood the message perfectly 
and in return tossed up a slip of ever¬ 
green, which said as loud as words, “My 
love will be eternal.” 

One day, not long after this, when 
Benito and Loreta Delfin returned from 
a picnic at Los Aguazitos, where the 
town-folks did their washing, they were 
welcomed with the news that a baby girl 
had arrived at the house ahead of them. 

“I’m glad it’s a girl,” said Loreta Del- 
fin. 

“Let’s see her,” Benito asked. 
“Where is she?” 

They were much disappointed not to 
see the baby at once. Senora Flores 
promised them they might hold the baby 



HE STRUMMED HIS GUITAR 


234 















A Christening and a Wedding 235 

next day if they were careful not to make 
any noise in the house that night. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin had never 
seen such a young baby as their mother 
brought into the sala next morning. It 
was wrapped in soft blankets and the top 
of its head and a little puckered face was 
all that could be seen. 

“She looks like you, Benito,” his 
mother said. 

Benito pulled aside the blanket from 
the face of the sleeping infant and looked 
at it a long time. Then he went to the 
long mirror and studied himself. Fi¬ 
nally he said, “If you think that thing 
looks like me, I don’t know what makes 
you think so. The only thing I can see 
like me about it, is that we both have hair, 
eyes, nose, ears, and a mouth.” 

“You probably were not a bit hand¬ 
somer than that when you were less than 
a day old,” said Loreta Delfin. 


236 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

Benito decided that he didn’t want to 
hold the baby, so Loreta Delfin begged 
to hold it long enough for both of them. 
She sat down and her mother, put the 
baby in her lap. 

Benito came near to look at it. 

“Oh, look, she is waking up,” said 
Loreta Delfin. “Maybe she will open 
her eyes.” 

“I thought babies were like kittens,” 
said Benito, “and didn’t open their eyes 
till they were several days old.” 

“Benito, you didn’t think anything of 
the kind. You are teasing.” 

“Yes, I did think so, truly,” said Be¬ 
nito. 

Just then the baby began to cry and 
Doha Maria Teresa came quickly back 
into the sala and took her from Loreta 
Delfin’s arms. 

The question of what to name the baby 
was discussed at every meal. Some 


A Christening and a Wedding 237 

wanted one name, some another. Fi¬ 
nally with the help of the godparents, it 
was decided to call the wee thing Maria 
Anita Rafaela. 

The christening day was chosen and 
plans made for the volo, or special re¬ 
freshments for the occasion. Then 
there were the presents to be gotten for 
the godparents to distribute to the guests 
at the christening feast. 

The baptismal ceremony was to take 
place at night. Before the appointed 
time, the godparents, accompanied by 
several musicians who played as they 
rode, arrived at Marcella’s house. Mar¬ 
cella and Juan with the baby met them at 
the door and, together with the other 
members of the family, marched to the 
parish church, playing and singing as 
they went. Benito and Loreta Delfin 
brought up the rear of the procession. 

All the baby’s relatives were expected 


238 Benito and, Loreta Delfin 

to be present at the baptism, without be¬ 
ing asked. A number of friends had 
also been invited. These gathered out¬ 
side of the church to wait for the cere¬ 
mony to be over. When the family 
came out, they were greeted with sky¬ 
rockets, music, and the ringing of bells. 
Friends and relatives, with the padre and 
his assistants, marched back to Mar¬ 
cella’s home, making a long and gay pro¬ 
cession. People came to their doors to 
watch them pass and waved and shouted. 
The baby slept peacefully through it all. 

At the house, the padre and his assist¬ 
ants were given money and then the gifts 
were distributed to the guests. All ate 
of the panecito, or baptismal bread, and 
drank the health of the baby and its par¬ 
ents. The musicians were called, and 
dancing commenced, which lasted the 
remainder of the night. The young 
people returned next day and danced 


A Christening and a Wedding 239 

again. It was quite usual for such a 
party to last several days. 

After the excitement of the christen¬ 
ing, the household settled down to a 
quieter life. Lent brought rest from 
bailes and fiestas. Gertrudis and Tomas 
were at home more, and church going 
and fasting became the chief activities in 
Monterey. 

Senor Amador had asked Don Carlos 
for the honor of Gertrudis’ marriage 
with his son, Roberto. Consent was 
given, and the young lovers were bliss¬ 
fully happy. The two families had 
many things to decide. The most im¬ 
portant was when and where the wed¬ 
ding would take place. Naturally Ro¬ 
berto’s relatives wanted it at Monterey. 
Don Carlos, Prudencia, and Dona 
Maria Teresa wanted it at the Mission 
San Francisco de Asis. Benito and Lo- 
reta Delfin were in no hurry to return to 


240 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

the rancho, and they spoke for Monte¬ 
rey. At last it was decided that the wed¬ 
ding should be at the Mission San Carlos 
Borromeo, during Easter week. 

It was customary for the groom to pro¬ 
vide himself with the best horse obtain¬ 
able and an elaborate saddle and trap¬ 
pings. He was also to provide most of 
the bride’s clothes and all the food for the 
wedding feast. As Roberto’s family 
were wealthy, they gave Gertrudis many 
wonderful presents. Every time Ro¬ 
berto or his mother or father called to see 
Gertrudis or her family, they brought 
something lovely; a lace mantilla, silk 
stockings, fans, Roman sashes, tall 
combs of shell bound with gold, pearls 
from Baja California, a necklace of 
topaz, an amethyst rosary, or a lace 
flounce from Spain for her wedding 
petticoat. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin had seen a 


I 


A Christening and a Wedding 241 

good many wedding processions since 
they had been in Monterey. They were 
particularly interested to know what 
kind of a wedding Gertrudis would have. 

“On whose horse will she ride to the 
Mission?” Benito asked, one day when 
wedding plans were being discussed at 
dinner. 

“Don Carlos will take Gertrudis on 
his horse,” Doha Maria Teresa replied. 

“Will you use ribbon or a loop of gold 
braid tied to the saddle-bow for your 
stirrup?” Loreta Delfin asked Gertrudis. 

“I think that, with Father’s beautiful 
black horse and his gold-and-black sad¬ 
dle and bridle, gold braid would look 
best,” Gertrudis said. 

Prudencia was sewing on a lovely 
light-blue satin wedding dress. It was 
to have a tight bodice and a full skirt with 
tiny ruffles on it. There were satin shoes 
to match the dress, a necklace and ear- 


242 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

rings of pearl, and a beautiful white lace 
mantilla, which Roberto had given her 
to complete the costume. 

Gertrudis and her mother were busy 
going through the chest of fine linens 
and embroideries that had been laid away 
for her through the years. Bed-linens 
were most highly prized. Sheets, pil¬ 
low-cases, spreads, and valances were 
elaborately embroidered and trimmed 
with lace. These had to be washed and 
bleached and carefully pressed with the 
flat of the hand, in readiness for the wed¬ 
ding. 

In due course Lent came to an end. 
On the evening of Judas Day, as they 
called Good Friday, Tomas and Benito 
went with Don Carlos to see an effigy of 
Judas hanged on a gallows before the 
church, where it would be burned next 
day. Loreta Delfin and Gertrudis were 


A Christening and a Wedding 243 

not allowed to go, as the crowd was 
mostly men, and usually pranks of all 
kinds were played. Sometimes petty 
thieving took place and was blamed on 
the evil spirit of Judas. 

Tuesday after Easter had been chosen 
for the wedding day. Domingo and 
Salvador came down from San Fran¬ 
cisco, and the friends and relatives of 
both families were gathered in Monterey 
for the joyous occasion. 

By mid-morning of the wedding day, 
all who were to accompany the bride to 
the church gathered at Marcella’s home 
to join Don Carlos and Gertrudis. The 
horses were decked in garlands of col¬ 
ored ribbons, flowers, and strings of tin¬ 
kling bells. The riders wore gay velvet 
jackets of all colors with bright sashes. 
The men wore wide hats, trimmed with 
gold or silver braid and colored bands 


244 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

tied round their heads. The women 
used lace mantillas over high combs and 
crossed them tightly at the waist, with the 
ends falling over bespangled skirts of 
every hue. 

Gertrudis was pale and quiet as she 
came out of the house with her father. 
She looked as lovely as a flower and 
smiled to her friends, who were grouped 
about the patio waiting for her. When 
she was seated in front of Don Carlos, the 
others quickly mounted, and the happy 
and colorful procession started out for 
the Mission. Domingo and Salvador 
rode ahead, Juan and Marcella followed 
with Dona Maria Teresa. Loreta Del- 
fin, Benito, Tomas, and Prudencia rode 
just behind Don Carlos. At the Mis¬ 
sion they met Roberto with his family 
and friends. 

After the ceremony, Roberto and Ger¬ 
trudis were serenaded and greeted with 


A Christening and a Wedding 245 

merriment. Don Carlos, Dona Maria 
Teresa, Marcella and Juan, with Pru- 
dencia, and Roberto’s father and mother 
hastened home ahead of the others, in or¬ 
der to be there to greet the bride. Tomas 
waited to escort the padres back to Mon¬ 
terey for the wedding feast. 

A band of musicians playing guitars 
and violins headed the procession home. 
Benito and Loreta Delfin were unde¬ 
cided whether to ride ahead with them or 
bring up the rear, where they could see 
all that went before. They finally de¬ 
cided that it was best to start at the end 
and ride ahead and then wait for the pro¬ 
cession to pass, and when they found 
themselves in the rear, to start ahead 
again. Thus they did not miss any¬ 
thing. 

As the procession entered Monterey, 
guns at the Presidio greeted them with a 
salute. When they approached the 


246 Benito and Loreta Delfin 



GERTRUDIS AND ROBERTO 


house, Gertrudis and Roberto were al¬ 
lowed to ride ahead and enter first. 
They were met by the nearest and dearest 
relatives, who with tears, gave the young 













A Christening and a Wedding 247 

couple, kneeling before them, a blessing. 

When all the guests had arrived, they 
sat down to the wedding breakfast in the 
sala. Gertrudis and Roberto sat at the 
head of a long table with the padres on 
their right and their fathers and mothers 
on their left. From a massive silver tu¬ 
reen, the guests were first served to an ex¬ 
cellent mutton broth thickened with rice 
and garbanzos, or large round beans. 
Next came punchero, or stew of beef and 
vegetables flavored with red peppers, 
onions, and parsley, and served with pun- 
tela, or small dumplings of wheat flour. 
There were also roasted beef and mutton. 
Frijoles were served, of course, and tor¬ 
tillas a plenty. They finished with con- 
servas of fruit, dulces, tea and coffee, and 
for the men, a small glass of spirits. 

After the meal there was dancing in 
the sala and patio for those who wished 
it. Benito and Loreta Delfin were in- 


248 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

vited to join a group in the dance and 
were delighted that they were not 
thought too young. They were both 
skillful dancers, and before the evening 
was over were in great demand. 

Next day there was dinner at the Mis¬ 
sion, then a baile at Roberto’s home. A 
barbecue at a near-by rancho followed 
and the bride and groom, with their 
friends, were kept dancing and making 
merry for several days. 

One night the young couple boarded 
the brig Dale, which lay in Monterey 
Bay, and before their friends knew where 
they had gone, the ship sailed away to 
give the young couple a quiet honey¬ 
moon on the ocean. 


CHAPTER XII 

HOME FOR THE RODEO 

I OORAY, hooray!” shouted 
Benito. “We are going 
home for the rodeo.” 

Don Carlos had just told him the plans 
and Benito sent up shouts of joy. The 
weather was perfect. Spring had really 
come and the green hills and meadows 
were glowing with flowers. There 
would only be Don Carlos, Doha Maria 
Teresa, Benito and Loreta Delfin to go 
back to the rancho. Gertrudis and Ro¬ 
berto were happily settled at the hacienda 
Roberto’s father had given them for a 
wedding present. In a few weeks 
Tomas was going to South America in 
the Shark with Juan Nichols, and Pru- 

249 






250 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

dencia had decided to enter a convent. 

Marcella’s baby was growing fast, and 
was so sweet that none of them could bear 
to leave her in Monterey. 

“Juan, couldn’t you bring Marcella 
and the children up to San Francisco be¬ 
fore you sail for South America?” Dona 
Maria Teresa asked one day, just before 
she left. “The trip overland is out of the 
question with three babies but, on the 
ship, they could make it easily. We’d 
love to have them all at the Casa del 
Arroyo while you are away.” 

Juan and Marcella thought this an ex¬ 
cellent plan, so when it was necessary to 
say good-bye, they did so more cheer¬ 
fully, knowing it would not be for long. 

It was a sparkling morning when Don 
Carlos and his family set out on horse¬ 
back with only the baggage necessary for 
the trip. Juan was to bring the rest of 
their things by ship, later on. 


Home for the Rodeo 251 

The Camino Real wound between 
green hills and fields gay with blue lupin, 
broditea, and scarlet Indian paint-brush. 
Meadow-larks and red-winged black¬ 
birds poured out their song. The trav¬ 
elers journeyed slowly, enjoying the 
beauty of the spring and resting when 
they wished, so that none grew tired of 
the trip. 

One night they stopped at the Mission 
San Juan Bautista, where Don Carlos 
was well known. He was made doubly 
welcome with his family. Good Padre 
Arroyo was especially happy to have 
Benito and Loreta Delfin. After they 
had had their supper, he sat with them 
under the olive trees looking down over 
the new pear orchard, just beginning to 
bloom. 

“Do you know the story of the four 
cats of the Mission San Buenaventura?” 
the good friar asked the twins. 


252 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

“No, Padre. Please tell it to us; we 
love stories,” they both said at once. 
And so he began. 

“My good brother Padre Francisco 
Uria was left alone when his fellow- 
worker died. There were the faithful 
Indians, of course, who cared for him, 
but he needed other companionship. 
One night an Indian servant made his 
way to a Spanish ship which lay off shore. 
There he found four kittens and brought 
them back to the padre’s cell. The good 
man was delighted with the four soft 
furry creatures. He named and bap¬ 
tized them Concha, after Maria de la 
Conception; Lolo, after Maria de los 
Dolores; Pepito, after Saint Joseph; and 
Frasquito, after Saint Francis. 

“The kittens followed him every¬ 
where, and he taught them to sit and lis¬ 
ten as he preached to them the virtues of 
a Christian life. And it is said they 


Home for the Rodeo 253 

showed every sign of understanding him. 
Frasquito was the cleverest of the four. 
Every morning at four, he aroused his 
master by standing and looking into his 
face and gently poking him in the cheek. 
Frasquito could also jump to the latch of 
the refectory door and let himself and 
the three other kittens in. They would 
take their place at table and wait pa¬ 
tiently to be served. The padre had 
taught them that to snatch food was glut¬ 
tonous and one of the deadly sins. At 
the evening Angelus the kittens would sit 
up with clasped paws and bowed heads 
while their master prayed. 

“When it came time for Padre Uria to 
die, the faithful four gathered around 
him. After the priest had breathed his 
last, Frasquito, followed by the other 
three, walked slowly and sadly to the 
chapel and rang the bell which warned 
the Angels of the advent of another spirit 


254 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

into Heaven, as is the Franciscan cus¬ 
tom.” 

“What a nice story. Thank you, Pa¬ 
dre,” said Loreta Delfin and Benito. 

A few days more of this peaceful jour¬ 
neying and they came to the Mission San 
Francisco de Asis. Padre Toribio 
wanted to keep them over night, but 
Dona Maria Teresa was anxious to get 
back to the Casa del Arroyo. Don Car¬ 
los promised to return and tell what news 
he had from Monterey. 

Benito and Loreta Delfin were very 
happy to be home again. That night 
they went from one end of the house to 
the other, calling attention to favorite 
and familiar objects here and there. It 
was like finding old friends in a place one 
revisits after a long absence. 

Next day Doha Maria Teresa was up 
early and at the business of setting the 
household in order. Loreta Delfin 


Home for the Rodeo 255 

found she was expected to take Pru- 
dencia’s place in helping with home af¬ 
fairs. Don Carlos took Benito with him 
and rode off to see how the plans for the 
rodeo were progressing. 

To protect their interests, the gente de 
razon, at rodeo time, directed this annual 
work of counting cattle, inspecting the 
old brands, and branding additions to 
the herd. At other times, the vaqueros, 
under the care of an Indian major-domo, 
were in charge of the half-wild herds. 

Don Carlos and Benito found the 
countryside already astir with the activity 
of the rodeo. The corrals, enclosed by 
fences made of the horns and skulls of 
dead cattle, had been put in order. The 
hierros, or branding-irons, were ready 
for use. The vaqueros were driving the 
cattle in from the hills. 

Other rancheros, like Don Carlos, 
were riding about giving orders and see- 


256 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

ing that things were in readiness, for the 
rodeo would take place at the end of the 
week. 

These rodeos were festival occasions 
for any community. The rancheros 
brought their wives and children, and, 
along with the work of branding and 
sorting cattle, there were feasting and 
dancing and general merrymaking for 
all. 

Dona Maria Teresa rode off with Don 
Carlos, Benito and Loreta Delfin early 
the first morning of the rodeo. A crowd 
had already gathered at the corrals when 
they arrived. All were in holiday 
clothes and holiday spirits. Nearly 
every one was on horseback, though 
quite a number of carretas were to be 
seen. These carried the younger chil¬ 
dren and the supplies of food. Each day 
an ox was barbecued for the crowd, but 


Home for the Rodeo 257 

every family supplied for itself whatever 
other food it wished. 

A large arbor had been built for the 
dancers. It was covered with branches 
and gay decorations. Musicians were 
playing and those wishing to dance were 
gathering. Dashing Caballeros in black 
velvet breeches, brilliant sashes, bright- 
colored jackets, wide-brimmed hats worn 
over a red silk handkerchief bound 
round the head, tied their horses to the 
railing of the arbor and took off their 
spurs. Charming senoritas in full skirts 
of fine muslin, spangled with gilt, 
brightly colored jackets and high-heeled 
slippers and flashing jewelry, sat fanning 
themselves in the arbor waiting for part¬ 
ners. 

As the young horsemen came into the 
arbor, they kneeled before their chosen 
partners and said, “Sabe que soy suyo, 


258 Benito and Lor eta D elfin 

(know that I am thine)The senoritas 
then arranged themselves opposite the 
gallant senores leaving a wide space be¬ 
tween the lines of dancers. The man at 
the head of the line began to sing a popu¬ 
lar folk song. His partner took up the 
strain, followed by the next two dancers. 
Singing, the four pirouetted down the 
center and around the outside of the line 
to their former places. The next four 
followed, and so on until all had danced. 
With graceful swaying figures they kept 
perfect time with the music, which grad¬ 
ually changed from a grand crescendo to 
a faint whisper of song. Other groups 
took their places and the dancing went 
on and on all through the day. 

While Loreta Delfin was watching the 
dancers in the arbor, Benito was with his 
father attending to the sorting and brand¬ 
ing of the cattle. In the corrals, the 
animals snorted and bellowed in the 



259 


THE HOT BRANDING-IRON 
























260 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

dust. The frightened calves bawled pit¬ 
eously as they were lassoed and the hot 
branding-iron put to their flanks. 

Now and again, as cattle were being 
headed into the corrals, an unruly cow or 
bull would break loose from the herd and 
suddenly dart away, running at full 
speed. A vaquero would dash after it. 
Coming up to the animal, he would lean 
over and catch it by the tail, spurring his 
horse ahead at the same time. Then by a 
quick movement, he would give a jerk 
and let go. The animal would roll over 
and over on the ground. By the time it 
got on its feet it was tame enough to be 
easily driven back to the corral. This 
display of skill and daring always de¬ 
lighted the spectators, who applauded 
the vaquero with enthusiasm. 

In another corral, quite a crowd had 
gathered about a little group of Indian 
women, who were trying to milk a half- 


Home for the Rodeo 261 

wild cow. It took three of them to do it. 
One held the animal’s head, another took 
firm hold of the reata which bound the 
hind legs, and a third tried to milk. 
Pails were unheard of, and the woman 
milked with one hand and held an 
earthenware cup in the other. This she 
emptied into a jug, each time it was filled. 
It was exciting and uncertain business, 
and little wonder that milk was not used 
more often. 

All day long there was no lack of 
things to do and see. A race was ar¬ 
ranged for the carretas drawn by the 
long-horned oxen. The usually slow- 
moving beasts could be goaded into quite 
a fast pace, and, in spite of the clumsy 
carretas they drew, the racing was excit¬ 
ing. 

The young men on their spirited 
horses played carrera de gallo. A live 
cock was buried up to its neck in loose 



262 


THE YOUNG MEN PLAYED CARRERA DE GALLO 


















Home for the Rodeo 263 

earth some distance from the starting 
point of the race. If, while going at full 
speed, a rider could catch the bird by the 
neck, he was loudly applauded. When 
he failed there was much laughter at his 
expense, and often he was unhorsed with 
violence by his comrades. 

More thrilling and far more danger¬ 
ous a sport was corrida de toros, or bull¬ 
coursing. A wild bull was put in the 
arena. A hundred or more horsemen 
were with him in the ring and as many 
more, less prominent persons, outside. 
The bull was baited with waving serapes 
and goaded with the rejon, an iron- 
pointed lance. When he became some¬ 
what tired, he was driven out of the ring 
at full speed. The riders followed and 
were joined by those outside the ring. 
Then began a furious race to see who 
would be able to throw the animal by the 
tail. Several bulls in succession were 



SEVERAL BULLS WERE THUS COURSED 


264 


Home for the Rodeo 265 

thus coursed, and often riders and horses 
were injured during this rough sport. 

Cock-fighting gave the less active per¬ 
sons a chance to gamble, for betting was 
the common practice on all sports and 
games. While money seldom changed 
hands, large numbers of cattle and quan¬ 
tities of hides and tallow were won and 
lost, as the rancheros amused themselves. 

That evening Benito and Loreta 
Delfin sat around a great bonfire watch¬ 
ing the Indians dance and listening to 
their strange and weird music. After 
the busy exciting day, the night air was 
refreshing and the darkness restful. 
The fire died down and quiet settled over 
the tired holiday-makers. There was 
laughter and singing to the guitar, but 
the noise of the day was gone. The air 
grew fresh and cool. A faint fragrance 
of mint made the twins sniff. 

“Does that remind you of the day we 


266 Benito and Loreta Delfin 

went to gather yerba buena, a year ago?” 
Loreta Delfin asked Benito. 

“So many things have happened since 
then that it seems very long ago,” said 
Benito, thinking of the trip to Ross, the 
winter in Monterey, with school, the 
christening, and the wedding. 

“We have done so many things, and 
now that Gertrudis, Tomas, and Pru- 
dencia have left home, I guess we have 
become grown-ups, too,” said Loreta 
Delfin. 

And that is how Don Carlos and his 
wife felt about it, looking at the twins as 
they rode home that night. 

For some years, life went on in much 
the same happy way for these contented 
people. The raising of the Mexican 
flag in the Presidios of Alta California, 
in place of the Lion of Castile, made little 
difference at first in the pleasant, pastoral 


Home for the Rodeo 267 

life of a people who sang and danced and 
made play of all their work. 

Loreta Delfin was happily married 
and Benito was a partner in Juan Nich¬ 
ols’ trading business, when the trouble¬ 
some twenty years of strife began which 
preceded the transfer of Alta California 
from Mexico to the United States, put¬ 
ting an end to the carefree, happy days. 


THE END 






























































































































































































































































